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Frequent YouTube Visitors Watch Less Television
by Jack Loechner, Thursday, February 8, 2007, 8:30 AM

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Frequent YouTube Visitors Watch Less Television

A recent Harris Poll of 2,309 U.S. adults, of whom 363 are frequent YouTube viewers, conducted online by Harris Interactive between December 12 and 18, 2006, found that almost one in three of these frequent YouTube users say they are watching less TV as a result of the time they spend there. However, 73 percent of frequent YouTube users say they would visit the site less if it started including short video ads before every clip. 42 percent of online U.S. adults say they have watched a video at YouTube, and 14 percent say they visit the site frequently.

Of all frequent YouTube users:

  • 66% claim they are sacrificing other activities when on YouTube
  • 36% say their visits to the site are most likely to have been at the expense of visiting other websites
  • 32% say their time spent watching TV is next most likely to have taken a hit
  • 20% think that YouTube also pre-empts email and other online social networking
  • 19% defer work/homework
  • 15% aren't playing video games
  • 12% are not watching DVD(s) and not spending time with friends and family in person

YouTube usage is greatest among the group already hardest to reach through television advertising: young males. 76% of 18 to 24 year old males say they have watched a video at YouTube, and 41% visit YouTube frequently.

Aongus Burke, Senior Research Manager of Harris Interactive's Media & Entertainment Practice, says "...YouTube ...has really emerged as a major force in, and problem for, the traditional entertainment industry. Not only is YouTube using a lot of their own content to steal the eyeballs they want the most, the site has provided a launching pad to wholly new forms of user-generated video entertainment that are gaining popularity quickly."

In the last year, TV networks have successfully experimented with airing of TV episodes with commercials on their websites. Nearly as many online adults (41%) say they have watched a video at a TV network website as they have at YouTube (42%). It seems like TV networks can get away with advertising more easily. Nearly three-quarters of adults who frequently visit YouTube say they would visit it a lot (31%) or a little (42%) less often if a short commercials before every clip were included.

Burke concludes that "...consumers as a rule are not averse to watching commercials online in order to catch an episode of a TV show they would otherwise miss. Yet those who are accustomed to finding and watching everything for free at YouTube may have developed a very different set of expectations for the site."

Online Video Viewership By U.S. Adults (% of Respondents; Multiple Response OK)

Ages

Adults

18 to 24

25 to 29

30 to 39

40 to 49

50 to 64

65 and over

%

%

%

%

%

%

%

Watched TV Online

74

85

87

76

78

62

56

Watched TV on:

YouTube

42

73

55

44

45

23

13

TV network

41

35

51

39

47

39

31

News site

35

27

40

36

42

32

32

Yahoo

25

30

33

26

29

18

13

Google

24

38

30

22

24

19

14

MySpace

19

45

33

19

16

7

3

iTunes

7

16

9

8

5

3

1

Somewhere else

19

19

15

24

19

17

16

Never watched video online

26

15

13

24

22

38

44

Source: The Harris Poll, January 2007

Online Video Viewership By U.S. Male Adults (% of Respondents; Multiple Response OK)

Ages

Males

18 to 24

25 to 34

35 to 49

50 to 64

65 and over

%

%

%

%

%

%

Watched TV Online

77

86

85

81

66

66

Watched TV on:

YouTube

47

76

53

53

29

15

TV network

43

37

47

49

40

36

News site

38

28

46

41

33

39

Yahoo

31

37

33

35

25

17

Google

31

50

31

28

25

19

MySpace

20

41

25

20

10

3

iTunes

8

17

9

8

4

1

Somewhere else

24

24

29

25

20

18

Never watched video online

23

14

15

19

34

34

Source: The Harris Poll, January 2007

Online Video Viewership By U.S. Female Adults (% of Respondents; Multiple Response OK)

Ages

Females

18 to 24

25 to 34

35 to 49

50 to 64

65 and over

%

%

%

%

%

%

Watched TV Online

70

85

85

70

58

45

Watched TV on:

YouTube

36

69

52

33

17

9

TV network

38

32

47

38

37

24

News site (e.g. CNN.com)

32

25

35

37

31

23

Yahoo

18

20

28

20

11

8

Google

17

22

23

17

12

9

MySpace

18

49

28

13

4

3

iTunes

6

15

9

4

2

2

Somewhere else

14

12

11

17

14

13

Never watched a video online

30

15

15

30

42

55

Source: The Harris Poll, January 2007

Time Spent On YouTube By U.S. Adults Having Ever Watched A Video On YouTube

% of YouTube Viewers

Uses YouTube Frequently

33%

More than 2 hours a week

2

1-2 hours per week

7

Frequently, but less than 1 hour per week

24

Only visited YouTube once or a few times

67

Source: The Harris Poll, January 2007

Time Spent Doing Other Things As Result Of Time Spent At Youtube (% of Respondents frequently viewing YouTube; Multiple Response OK)

% of Frequent YouTube Viewers

Spending Less Time on something because of YouTube viewing (all respondents)

66%

Spending Less Time:

Using other websites

36

Watching TV

32

Emailing, chatting online, blogging, etc

20

Working or doing homework

19

Playing video games

15

Spending time in person with friends/family

12

Watching videos on DVD

12

Reading magazines/newspapers

11

Talking to other people on the phone

9

Going to the movies

7

Exercise

1

Other

2

Not spending less time doing anything because of time at YouTube

34

Source: The Harris Poll, January 2007

Visit HarrisInteractive here for more information.

1 person recommends this article. 

One comment on "Frequent YouTube Visitors Watch Less Television"

  1. Ander Wensberg from Tin Cup LLC
    commented on: February 08, 2007 at 12:05 PM
    Thank you for sharing this illuminating research. I think the male "tv online" audience over 35 is remarkably large. Of course big media and advertisers will only get excited about reaching the young male demo here. Opportunity for content developers with something to say to adult men at the peak of their careers, or at the beginning of whatever boomer's are calling retirement these days.

    With 2 in 3 saying in this study they've only seen online tv a few times, the overall audience size today will be dwarfed by the wave of audience that becomes more frequent. The pump has been primed....

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