ExchangeWire Research’s weekly roundup brings you up-to-date research findings from around the world, with additional insight provided by Rebecca Muir, head of research and analysis, ExchangeWire. In this week’s edition: Global development of VR; Longer content migrating rapidly to mobile; Ad fraud in mobile apps; and Tech less important to TMT companies.

Global development of VR

Brands and advertisers that utilise VR can tap into higher consumer engagement and attention rates, and are also seen as more innovative, finds research by YuMe. Nearly two-thirds of respondents (63%) have tried an immersive technology, and feel it’s the “next big thing”, while 86% have heard of VR.

VR is considered the most advanced immersive technology. Six in every ten respondents (60%) feel the VR helps create engaging experiences, compared to 53% for 360-degree video. Similarly, 51% feel brands that use VR are innovative, compared to 45% for 360-degree video.

The survey also finds that customers who have used immersive technology firsthand, have a better opinion of it that those who have not. More than half (51%) of respondents who have used an immersive technology are more likely to engage with an ad if it was in 360-degree video, compared to 36% of total respondents. Nearly two-thirds (60%) of those who have used immersive technology also feel brands utilising VR create a positive view of them, compared to 43% of total respondents.

Longer content migrating rapidly to mobile

There were more video views on mobile devices in Q3 than on any other device, according to Ooyala’s Q3 2016 Global Video Index. The research also found changes in the type of video watched on mobile devices.

Longer-form content – video over five minutes in length – accounted for nearly half (48%) of all viewing on smartphones; that’s more than double the 23% seen a year ago. In addition, nearly one-third of all mobile viewing (30%) was of video over 20 minutes in length.

There is an increasingly mobile society in established markets like the United States and Western Europe; growth there will continue as consumers continue to demand it. Amazon’s decision to offer downloadable content for offline viewing – and Netflix’s more recent decision to do the same – are also acting as drivers.

Sports viewing on mobile is also on the up. A year ago, Ireland was the only country in which sports video views topped 50% on mobile devices. Now, Europe sees mobile video views of sports-related content at 54%, higher than the 49% global average.

Ad fraud in mobile apps

More than half of all uncertified apps displayed malicious activity, and even some certified apps were just as toxic, finds a study by Sizmek.

About 9% of mobile apps generating ad traffic were not certified by the app stores. Eight in every ten (80%) of these apps were on Android devices, with 56% of this group proven to be malicious. Half of illegally downloaded iOS apps were proven to be malicious. All told, 52% of all uncertified apps were found to be malicious. Of certified apps, a small fraction (1.5%) engaged in ad fraud.

From approximately 20 billion impressions, 10% of all mobile apps traffic came from apps not certified by the app stores. Three-fifths (60%) of these impressions came from Android devices. Over a third (37%) of this group was proven malicious, with the rest either low quality or not found (and most likely malicious). Two-fifths (40%) of the uncertified traffic came from iOS devices, and 43% of these apps facilitated illegal downloads, while 57% were unstable apps. Both groups were likely largely malicious.

Tech less important to TMT companies

Despite advancements in technology and artificial intelligence in the workplace, 62% of enterprises in the Tech, Media, and Telecoms (TMT) sector are seeking to employ more staff to drive their company forward, Colliers latest research reveals. This demonstrates the ‘human factor’ still plays a critical role in business development.

Technology was viewed as the least important strategic resource by all but one company. Yet most businesses surveyed did expect big change and efficiency improvements through the introduction of new technology in the business and the workplace, especially the development of cloud-based systems.

The consensus among all the companies surveyed was that human resources (HR) remains the most important strategic resource, which is needed to drive business growth over the coming years. Without the ability to tap into pools of technical talent, the business would not be able to grow at the desired rate.