Video streaming apps have moved the Entertainment category to the No. 1 position in terms of iOS revenue and make up three out of the top five iOS apps in China, according to App Annie. The company released its App Annie Index: Market Q2 2015 report based on data collected across its mobile analytics platform.
- Social networking apps led all iOS categories in time spent and session duration. Social was also No. 1 in Google Play for time spent, but entertainment (which would include video streaming apps) led in session duration.
- Google Play's worldwide downloads in the second quarter of 2015 were approximately 85 percent higher than on the iOS App Store, a significant increase from the 70 percent gap App Annie reported in Q1 2015.
- iOS App Store's worldwide revenue in the second quarter was about 70 percent higher than Google Play's.
- China was the No. 1 country in terms of iOS download volumes, while the U.S. was No. 1 in terms of revenue, followed by Japan and China.
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On Google Play, the U.S. was the top country in terms of downloads, while Japan lead in Android app revenue.
"HBO NOW and Hulu led revenue growth in the United States as both apps made it into the Worldwide Apps Index for May 2015," the report said. "With HBO NOW set to hit Android devices in July and the recent launch of Showtime's streaming service on iOS, Apple TV and Roku, cordcutting on a massmarket scale could soon be a reality. However, the United States isn't the only market where this is the case."
How many indie developers are ready to come up with a competitor to HBO NOW or Hulu? Probably not many. What the App Annie report proves, however, is that video streaming is a great example of where engagement--at least based on session duration or time spent--is reaching record levels. It may make sense in some cases for more gaming or social apps to integrate additional video content, or to make video tutorials as compelling as possible. If this data is correct, being immersed in watching videos may be the primary way consumers think about app usage over the long term.
For more:
- see the full report here
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