Rising prominence: (from left) TNS Malaysia managing director MC Lai, IPG Mediabrands CEO Prashant Kumar, Sajith and Nestle communications director Khoo Kar Khoon were present at the round table discussion on the viewing patterns of Malaysians on YouTube.
More than half of Malaysians prefer YouTube content compared to TV according to the latest YouTube Insights Program by TNS Research.
The survey conducted in collaboration with Google found that millennials aged 16 to 34 prefer the video platform over conventional options. Surprisingly, even half of the senior citizen from the age of 55 to 64 are also avid YouTube watchers.
Also, Malaysians spend an average of 80 minutes watching YouTube on their mobile devices, double the global average of 40 minutes.
“In the past, the video landscape was very simple. TV was the only screen in a household and viewers gathered round it at predictable times of the day,” says Google managing director of Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippines and New Emerging Markets Sajith Sivanandan.
“Now, the situation is much more complex with a plethora of devices and video platforms to choose from. There’s one trend driving most of the change in Malaysia – mobile.”
Sajith says it’s because two out of three Malaysians have smartphones, the broadband penetration is high and there's easy availability of high quality content.
Entertainment which includes music, comedy and movies was the top choice for YouTube viewers, followed by how-to-videos, trailers, TV shows and dramas.
The survey was conducted in Q4 last year with a sample size of 1,000 Malaysians from the age of 16 to 64. They were asked about their viewing habits such as viewing times, session lengths, content genres and sharing habits across mobile and desktop devices.
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