Report: Short-Form Video Still King

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Citing the success of Hulu and various efforts by YouTube, recent reports have heralded the dramatic rise of long-form video content. That said, consumers still far prefer watching short -- if not quite consumer-generated -- media, according to new research conducted by research/consulting firm Frank N. Magid Associates on behalf of video site Metacafe.

Indeed, short "professional" videos now account for eight of the 10 most popular video genres, including music videos, movie previews, and TV show clips, according to the report.

Moreover, consumers overwhelmingly said watching short professional videos online is just as entertaining as watching full-length TV shows on television, while more than one in four respondents also said short-form online videos are more entertaining than full-length TV shows.

"The findings represent an important shift in behaviors and attitudes over last year," said Mike Vorhaus, president of Magid Advisors. "The popularity of professionally produced short-form content by the majority of respondents further solidifies this entertainment genre."

The majority -- 55% -- of online video viewers now find online video ads just as, if not more, acceptable than TV ads, which is up 3% year-over-year. Those 18- to-34 years of age are more likely than older viewers to find online video ads more acceptable than TV ads.

Overall, half of U.S. consumers now watch online video at least once a week, according to Magid. Last year, by contrast, 43% of consumers reported watching Web video at least once a week.

Of particular note, viewers ages 18 to 24 accounted for the greatest increase in weekly online video viewership -- a finding advertisers should find particularly mouth-watering, according to Erick Hachenburg, CEO of Metacafe.

"The dramatic increase we have seen over the last year in viewership from the coveted and traditionally hard-to-reach 18- to-24-year-old demographic raises the stakes for online video ad spend," said Hachenburg. "These consumers are the 'entertainment drivers' that define pop culture and determine breakout hits in the social media world."

Specifically, 85% of males and 68% of females now watching online video weekly -- representing a 15% and 27% increase over 2009, respectively.

Three out of four respondents reported watching some type of short, professionally produced videos online regularly, with the highest percentage among 18- to-34-year-olds -- 83% of males and 75% of females, respectively.

Magid estimates that time spent watching online video will grow by five percent over the next 12 months.

6 comments about "Report: Short-Form Video Still King".
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  1. Anthony Coppedge from Active Network, June 29, 2010 at 9:25 a.m.

    I'd like to see the stats that define "short form". What is the bar for short vs. medium vs. long? Under 1 minute? Under 2 minutes? Less than 4:45?

    Even with that data, content is still king, with entertainment ranking highest based on the information described in the post above.

    So, from a content-creation viewpoint, what does the data say about the kind of video in relation to length that people will watch?

  2. Brad Michaelson from Brand Canyon at Runway 21 Studios, June 29, 2010 at 3:42 p.m.

    I agree with Mr. Coppedge - we need a standard definition of short, medium and long-form video. It would be helpful too if a study were available that tracked the length of video AND time of viewing. Is short form video most popular because it's the easiest, most convenient (and least risky) to watch at work on the company computer, or...?

  3. Betsy Sperry from One Degree, June 29, 2010 at 3:53 p.m.

    It would also be important to know how the video was served. I suspect that the growth of pre-roll video advertising online is a very significant factor in why people report viewing online video ads more than TV ads.... they have no choice if they want the content.

    The sizable viewership of movie trailers would contribute to this, as most movie sites (Fandango, for one) have pre-roll ads in front of almost all of their trailers.

  4. Eric Steckel from Turnpike Digital, June 30, 2010 at 7:09 p.m.

    A short theatrical film might be 10-minutes in length, whereas a piece of branded entertainment running 10-minutes might be construed as long-format. However, with cinematic-quality pieces of branded entertainment entering the marketing mix, such as Schweppes (http://schhh.eu/shortfilms/) and Phillips (http://phillipsfilms.com/), the lines are being blurred. I am curious how these types of films enter into the stats quoted.

  5. Corey Kronengold from NYIAX, July 1, 2010 at 5:33 p.m.

    Agreed with Anthony & Brad. The biggest challenge the online video industry faces is with vernacular. We all talk about syndication, webisodes, short form, WebTV, IPTV, etc., but we don't all mean the same thing.

    When I'm watching a sitcom on Hulu in my livingroom, I'm "watching TV." What do you call it when your new phone has an HDMI output at 720p and you plug it in to your friend's 42" LCD screen to watch an episode of Seinfeld? Is that "mobile" just because the "magic box" in the middle is a phone and not a cable box or PC? Certainly we'd want a different ad model & experience for that than other traditional mobile models.

    Unfortunately, being specific and breaking all of this down into niches kills the appearance of scale. Hence our current "potential reach" data.

  6. James Wood from HD Productions, July 6, 2010 at 1:10 p.m.

    This is has always be a common finding, but also there is an increase in those prepared to watch longer form content. It just depends on the consumer/audience and genre.

    I attend online webinars both live and pre-recorded/on demand most over 30 minutes, watch documentaries and those I can't be bothered to watch there and then I can download or be sent an mp3 or powerpoint or pdf.

    Thanks for the report.

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