There’s been a huge growth in popularity of online video usage among Americans in the past year, according to a national online Magid Media Futures survey conducted in the last week of March 2007.
Daily usage of online video increased 56% over the last year: In 2006, 9% of 12-64-year-old Americans who used the internet reported using online video daily; that proportion has now risen to 14%, according to the Magid study.
“Clearly the use of online video demonstrates that the internet has become a mass platform for distributing video content to a wide cross section of Americans,” said Mike Vorhaus, SVP and managing director for Frank N. Magid Associates.
Additional findings from the study:
- Weekly usage of online video has also increased: In 2006, 44% of online Americans age 12-64 used online video once a week or more; now that proportion is 52% – a growth of 18%.
- Among young adult males 18-24, 35% report using online video at least once a day, and 80% report watching online video at least once a week.
- In all age-groups, males are more regular viewers of online video: Among females 18-24, weekly use of online video is 53%, versus 80% for males.
- The segment that has the lowest rate of weekly online video usage is older women: Among women age 55-64, 39% report using online video weekly.
- News stories are reported by consumers as the most frequently viewed online video: Over a third of online Americans 12-64 watch online video news stories regularly.
- Video content described as jokes/bloopers, weather, and movie previews are tied for second as the most regularly viewed video content.
- Music videos and “videos shot by consumers and uploaded to websites like YouTube” – user-generated content – are the third-most regularly viewed video content.
- News stories are more appealing to older age groups (those 45-64), while jokes/bloopers are strongest among teens.
Internet homes in the U.S. are becoming technologically more advanced as wireless networks expand into homes, Magid also said: In 2005, only 16% of internet homes had wireless networks; in 2007, over 41% of internet homes have wireless networks – a growth of 156% in two years.
“Right now it may mostly be computers and printers on home networks. We imagine TV sets will readily be part of home networks in the years ahead,” Vorhaus said.
About the study:Â Magid Media Futures was conducted with 1,864 people, of whom 1,632 are between the ages of 18 and 64, and 232 are between the ages of 12 and 17. The sample is representative of the U.S. population by age and gender. The data were collected March 20-28, 2007.
