• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer, March 14, 2008

Youth Fuels Online Video

According to new consumer research from Leichtman Research Group, 31% of adults online at home report that they view video online at least weekly, including 10% who view video online daily. This compares to 25% of those online who viewed video online at least once a week last year. However, increases in online video usage over the past year were primarily among younger individuals, a group that watches video online far more frequently than others.   

• Among all individuals ages 18-34, 42% report that they watch video online at home at least weekly - up from 28% last year
• Among all individuals ages 35 and above, 15% watch video online at home at least weekly - compared to 13% last year
• Men ages 18-34 account for 40% of those who view video online on a daily basis, while comprising just 17% of online subscribers in the sample

Based on a survey of 1,250 households nationwide, as part of the LRG study Emerging Video Services II, other key findings include:  

• 9% of those who watch video online strongly agree that they now watch TV less often
• 52% of online video users typically spend ten minutes or less when they view online video at home
• 9% of all online watched a recent episode of a TV show online in the past week
• Among all online, just 4% strongly agree that they would consider disconnecting their TV service to only watch video online

Bruce Leichtman, president and principal analyst for Leichtman Research Group, says "Online video is emerging as a medium unto itself... Not necessarily...an alternative to traditional TV viewing..."

Almost concurrently, a new study by Blinkx and Harris Interactive, looking at the interplay between television viewing and Online activity, shows that when it comes to television viewing, viewers aren't necessarily abandoning their TV in favor of the Web. 78% U.S. adults go online while watching TV, and more than a third of them do so always or often.

62% of of adults who enjoy surfing the Internet while watching television, surf for content that is not related to what they're watching. And 25% go online for information specific to the programming they are currently viewing. Most commonly, those who surf the web for related content are looking for more information or color about what they're watching, be it profiles of the actors (51%), products/services that appeared in or were advertised during the program (40%), or related upcoming events (39%).

A summary of some other highlights from the survey of adults who watch television and use the web while doing so include:

• 35% of adults who watch television with the web, report doing so often or always
• 40% of them look for products/services that appeared in or were advertised during the program they're watching
• 39% of them look for upcoming/related events
• And, while watching video or television content online, twice as many online adults typically watch full-length television shows, movies, or sporting events, as compared to user-generated content (25% vs. 13%, respectively)

More on this study can be found here.

Finally, a new online video measurement tool, VideoCensus from Nielsen Online, provides some specific metric information about Online video streaming  including viewers, categories, brands and dayparts.