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Apple TV Overtakes Roku for Video Ad Distribution: FreeWheel

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The Apple TV might be well overdue for an update, but that isn't stopping its progress. Online video monetization company FreeWheel released its Q2 2015 Video Monetization Report and found that for the first time Apple TV owned the largest share—39 percent—of the OTT video ad view market. Apple TV was only at 28 percent the year before. Roku slipped into second place with 32 percent. What changed, says FreeWheel, is that Apple launched several popular apps for viewing video. Chromecast is still at number 3, and its total dropped a bit from 12 percent last quarter to 11 percent in Q2. Connected TVs own a scant 3 percent of the OTT video ad market, but that's up from 2 percent last quarter.

For smartphones, FreeWheel finds the market evenly divided between iOS and Android devices. In Q2, iPhones streamed 53 percent of all mobile video ads, up from 50 percent the previous quarter. Android devices counted for 46 percent. The report notes that strong sales for the iPhone 6 helped Apple push forward. Not only were iPhone sales high, but so were the rates of people switching from other platforms. With the iPhone 6s announcement and launch imminent, it's worth watching to see if Apple can maintain that momentum.

Download the full report for free (registration required).

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