• by Daisy Whitney , Op-Ed Contributor, March 9, 2012

Video site newcomer TumTiki  has made big strides in growing its library and now boasts 1 million titles, up from 700,000 at launch late last year. That includes 90,000 TV shows and 110,000 movies. The Frontier Communications-owned site launched with the goal to become a portal for video viewing online, and the next order of business will be to refine the look and layout based on early user behavior. Frontier declined to reveal usage and visitor numbers, but did share some insight on what consumers are doing on the site. The result? So far, the service is surprisingly sticky.

For starters, about 40% to 45% of visitors are coming from outside the Frontier high-speed network, a promising sign that the site has potential beyond its own existing customers. When visitors come to the site looking for dramas or a movie, about 70% continue browsing after they’ve found the video they were initially looking for. With comedy, a little more than 50% stick around and hunt for more videos. TumTiki’s making a big bet on local programming, including local sports content. When visitors come to the site searching for local content, nearly 50% stay on the site and browse for more, said Melinda White, Executive VP of Revenue Development at Frontier Communications.

The company is using this initial insight to refine the page layouts, the look of the site and how videos are featured. “On the local pages, we’re looking into, ‘do we feature more from their city or district or give them something totally different’? We’re running tests now to figure out what [visitors] might do next,” said Eric DelSesto, VP of Product Development for Frontier Communications.

Ad dollars are small for now, but TumTiki is realizing some revenue from banner ads and revenue share on videos. To be sure, TumTiki has a long way to go before it becomes a well-known and regular video destination, but it’s good to see the site applying a methodical approach based on user behavior to its programming. Because, you know, it’s the user behavior that matters most.