Blog
November 18, 2019
Why mobile should drive your CDN strategy
A strong relationship between content creator and consumer is built on reliable, consistent, playback experiences. Don’t leave your customers stranded without the connection they need to the content they love. A global world demands consumers have universal access where, and when, they want it.
According to eMarketer, 75% of all video plays are now on mobile devices. Mobile video traffic accounts for two-thirds (63%) of all mobile data traffic, and will grow to account for nearly four-fifths (79%) of all mobile data traffic by 2022 – representing a 9X increase since 2017, according to a 2019 report by Cisco. By 2022, Cisco projects that: mobile will represent 20% of total IP traffic. The number of mobile-connected devices per capita will reach 1.5. The average global smartphone connection speed will surpass 40 Mbps ad, Smartphones will surpass 90% of mobile data traffic.
In fact, consumers in the United States spend nearly as much time watching videos as they do working, nearly 40 hours per week, according to Deloitte.
As viewing experiences become increasingly mobile, the importance of delivering content seamlessly across vast geographic landscapes is paramount. Content creators must ask if their CDN is smart enough to always chart the shortest, cleanest, most efficient, and highest-quality pathway to every screen?
Meet your audience where they are with a multi-CDN strategy
Depending on the content delivery strategy utilized by the creator, consumers may, or may not, be able to enjoy the highest-quality viewing experiences.
Today, more video content is being watched than ever before, with 85% of all internet users in the U.S. watching online video content monthly on their device of choice (Statista, 2018). The global video streaming market is estimated to be worth $124.57 billion by 2025, according to Market Watch.
Speed alone will not ensure your content gets to where it needs to as quick as possible. The edge-tier of every CDN provides points of presence (PoPs), where your audience and your content interact. By employing the use of more than one CDN, you get more PoPs for your programming. Additional CDNs can widen your delivery footprint and allow you to serve customers from many more locations and over different network routes – this is especially true when attempting to deliver content to a global audience.
The variability of performance is another reason to utilize a multi-CDN strategy. Individual CDNs vary in their performance across different locations, network, and time of day. No single CDN can perform well in every area of the world. Quality of experience will differ depending on their proximity to points of presence, as well as capacity and utilization.
A multi-CDN media delivery strategy ensures downloads are seamless and downtime is not a concern, no matter your location or device.
Preparing for tomorrow today
Today, content is created for global audiences. According to YouTube, 80% of users come from outside the U.S., and YouTube services 88 countries in 76 languages, or 95% of all internet users.
Ericsson’s November 2018 Mobility Report, predicts video traffic to grow 35% annually through 2024—increasing from 27 exabytes per month in 2018 to 136EB in 2024. This means video’s share of global mobile traffic will rise to 74% from 60% today.
As content creators look toward the future, how and where consumers view their creative will occupy increasing levels of mindshare when devising delivery network strategies.
Avoid the additional resources required to manage multiple partners independently, and leverage Comcast’s multi-CDN fabric to deliver your broadcast quality content to any device. Take advantage of the Comcast CDN and other pure-play CDNs using DLVR multi-CDN routing technology with direct interconnects to more than 250 global networks.