Dramatic differences in time spent with live video content compared to video-on-demand (VOD), and primetime online viewing hours compared to traditional TV, are continuing to show themselves in the video consumption area, according to new statistics. Most significantly, mobile video is evolving beyond video “snacking” to encompass the viewing of long-form content.

Ooyala’s latest Global Video Index shows a movement toward freeing premium content from the constraints of traditional distribution. In other words, viewers are beginning to respond to the ubiquity of video-capable connected devices.

“With video now being consumed across multiple devices and the resulting audience fragmentation, it is more important than ever for content providers to understand the viewing behaviors of their audiences,” Ooyala noted.

The study found that prime viewing hours for online broadcast content is noon on weekdays and 9 p.m. on weekends. Tablet viewing especially spikes on weekends, when viewers spend twice as much time watching video from broadcasters online. And we’re not talking about viewing YouTube (News - Alert) cat videos: Nearly half of all tablet video consumption was with video at least 30 minutes in length.

In fact, the Index indicated that more than 75 percent of time spent watching mobile video in March was with long-form content (defined as videos longer than 10 minutes in length).

The results also uncovered the power of live transmission: People tune into live video 2.5 times longer than VOD content on broadcast and entertainment networks.

"For broadcasters that rely on video to drive their business, insights -- like where people are watching, for how long, on what device -- drive their programming and monetization strategies," said Jay Fulcher, CEO at Ooyala. "If their strategy is off they lose money, or if they're lucky, just leave money on the table.”