According to data revealed in a new report, YouTube is responsible for 37% of all mobile web traffic.
The report from Sandvine details which apps generate the most downstream mobile web traffic in the world.
Traffic is measured in megabytes, which could explain why YouTube has such a commanding lead over other applications.
By comparison, Facebook accounts for only 8.4% of mobile web traffic.
“YouTube accounts for the most megabytes with 37%, an awfully long way ahead of second-placed Facebook with 8.4% and Snapchat with 8.3%. Netflix, which accounts for the most internet traffic overall, only manages 2.4% when it comes to mobile.”
Here is a complete list of apps mentioned in the report along with their share of mobile web traffic:
- YouTube – 37%
- Facebook – 8.4%
- Snapchat – 8.3%
- Instagram – 5.7%
- Web browsing – 4.6%
- Facebook video – 2.5%
- Netflix – 2.4%
- WhatsApp – 3.7%
- App Store – 2.1%
- Google Play – 1.9%
- Others – 23.4%
Users are consuming more content (per megabyte) on YouTube than on any other app. This includes social media and other video apps like Netflix.
Another interesting takeaway from this data is that Snapchat accounts for the same amount of mobile traffic as Facebook, despite having many fewer users.
Again, that likely has to do with the video-centric nature of Snapchat. When you also factor in Facebook video then Facebook starts to pull further ahead of Snapchat.
People clearly enjoy watching video on their phones–so why is Netflix so far down the list?
Well, Netflix content is behind a paywall, so that’s a major factor.
However, I think the data says more about the types of video users prefer to watch on mobile devices.
Short-form video content is king on the mobile web, whereas full-length movies and shows are better suited for computer and TV screens.
