A recent Pew Internet & American Life Project report says that the number of adults watching online video has doubled since 2006. In fact, watching videos is more popular than Facebook or any other online activity. That’s right. While news headlines focus on Facebook’s meteoric rise and Twitter is the new darling of social media, there’s clearly another important story here and it’s shaping how we consume content and find entertainment, online and off.
You can check out the report here, but here’s a brief synopsis of the key findings:
- 62% of adult Internet users surveyed in April 2009 have watched a video on sites like YouTube (up from 33% in 2006). In contrast, 46% of adults Internet users are active on social networking sites, 19% download podcasts, and 11% use sites like Twitter.
- When it comes to demographics, not surprisingly young adults are leading the adoption curve; nine in ten Internet users between 18-29 use video sharing sites. But don’t think online video is limited to ‘Generation Y’. The biggest leap over the past year occurred in adults aged 30-49 (67% now, compared with 57% in 2008) and among Internet users in the 50-64 bracket, 41% watch online videos.
- As online video becomes a larger part of our daily lives, it only goes to follow that it will encroach on those spaces and times typically reserved for traditional broadcast viewing. And sure enough, the Pew report found that 22% of Americans have cut back on their cable and TV services over the past 12 months. Compare that to only 9% who cut back on Internet service and it’s clear who’s winning the battle for our bucks in this economy.
- And people aren’t just watching videos of dogs on surfboards. More than a third of Internet users (35%) now say they have viewed a television show or movie online. In comparison, just 16% responded positively to that question in 2007.
So what does all this mean? People are embracing video on the Web with adoption rates that outpace other online activities. As the Pew report concluded, we’re witnessing an important moment in the evolution of America’s television and movie viewing habits. And as we become more accustomed to watching viral videos, TV clips and shows online, the familiarity with the experience shapes other behaviors on the Web, making us more willing audiences for videos from brands, news sources, local advertisers, and more.