Short-form video apps arrived in China in early 2017 and have established themselves as viable entertainment options, allowing users to create content in 15- and 60-second spurts. In fact, we estimate that average daily time spent with short-form video among mobile internet users has risen from 9.9% of total mobile internet time in Q3 2018 to 13.5% in Q2 2019. Meanwhile, time spent on over-the-top (OTT) apps experienced a slight decline.
Video Viewing Habits Are Shifting. The apps in this category are competing not only for social network time spent (and the accompanying ad dollars), but also digital video time spent (and its ad dollars).