Recent developments seem to show that Adobe Flash, the online video carrier of choice for many years, is being phased out. More and more video players are turning to alternative systems such as Microsoft’s Silverlight, and we are seeing more HTML5-based videos as it becomes possible to create features using code that does not depend on Flash.
Flash has not exactly been popular with users over the last few years, becoming more well known for slowing down computers and posing worrying security risks than for providing high quality video content. It is now mostly used for online adverts: it is thought that over 84% of banner ads currently use Flash, although it is possible to block Flash on your browser if you don’t wish to see such adverts. However, online giants including Google and Amazon are now turning away from Flash adverts, further signalling its impending doom.
Firefox and Amazon have already blocked Flash, and from next month, Google’s Chrome browser will no longer run Flash ads automatically; instead, users will have to specifically click on the advert. Android and iOS tablets and smartphones rarely use Flash, and as more people these days use these devices to access the internet rather than laptops and desktops, it seems that advertisers will have to look for new ways to reach their global audience.