Online Video
and Television Viewing Attitudes
and Behaviors
FEBRUARY, 2011
Online Video and Television Viewing Attitudes and Behaviors
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Online video is experiencing unprecedented growth. According to the IAB, it took 38 years for radio
to reach 50MM users, 13 years for TV, 10 years for cable, less than 5 years for Internet, and less than
2 years for Internet Video. Consumers of all walks of life utilize more online video now than ever
before. Heavy online video users continue to increase their online video consumption while decreasing
their offline TV consumption. Despite these trends, online video advertising remains just a fraction of
overall advertising spending.
The Online Video and Television Viewing Attitudes and Behaviors report is a survey of online video
viewers across YuMe’s premium video ad network. It includes key findings around online video
adoption, users’ content preferences, and consumption comparisons with TV. In particular, this report
demonstrates that while marketers can reach the majority of their audience through TV, there is a
small-but-growing, complementary audience that is more accessible through online video. Moreover,
marketers will learn that reaching their audience through multiple channels improves campaign
performance across the board. By educating marketers on the major trends and available opportunities
within this rapidly growing space, YuMe will demonstrate the compelling nature of online video as a
key advertising medium for 2011 and beyond.
METHODOLOGY
The statistics presented in this report are generated from data collected from August 26 through
October 7, 2010 from an online survey of online video viewers intercepted across YuMe’s ad
network. The survey was conducted among a sample of 498 viewers over a 6 week time period.
These viewers were U.S. residents, ages 13-54, who watch online video once a week or more. All
reasonable efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy and statistical significance of the data
presented herein.
KEY FINDINGS
•
Online Video’s Explosive Growth Will Continue:
More than 66% of respondents said they
watch more online video now than they did 12 months ago and 48% expect they will continue to
watch more in 2011.
•
Online Video Content is on Par with TV:
Viewers’ perception of the quality of video content
online has improved and more than 50% of respondents felt they could find more exclusive content
online than on TV.
•
Watching Online Video Is a Daily Routine:
49% of respondents said they watch online video
daily, with 7 hours being the mean time spent per week.
•
Short-form Content Reigns Supreme Online:
70% of respondents said they watch program
clips that are shorter than 5 minutes in length.
•
Scheduled TV Programs are Less Relevant:
60% of viewers watch online video because
they can watch it whenever they want.
•
Online Viewers are More Engaged with Ads:
Multi-tasking is more pervasive when watching
television ads than when watching online video ads; 58% of respondents said they do things
around the house when ads come on TV versus 26% for ads online.
•
Heavy Online Video Viewers Can’t Be Reached with TV:
Heavy online video viewers are
reducing their television viewing yet they are increasing their online video viewing which indicates
it will be even more difficult to reach these viewers via television in the future.
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Online Video and Television Viewing Attitudes and Behaviors
ONLINE VIDEO ADOPTION REPRESENTS A TECHNOLOGY SHIFT, NOT A GENERATIONAL SHIFT
Online video consumption continues to increase with 66% of consumers surveyed across YuMe’s
network saying they watch more online video than they did 12 months ago. Moreover, 48% of
consumers expect that they will continue to watch even more online video over the next 12 months.
Online Video And Television Usage Change
NET
CHANGE
DECLINE
INCREASE
ONLINE VIDEO
usage
compared to 12 months ago
5
66
+61
TELEVISION
viewing
compared to 12 months ago
29
19
–10
Anticipated change in
ONLINE VIDEO
usage over
the next 12 months
3
48
+45
Anticipated change in
TELEVISION
video viewing
over the next 12 months
19
15
–4
50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
Q: Compared to 12 months ago, how has your usage of online video changed?
Q: In the next 12 months, how do you expect your usage of online video to change?
Q: Compared to 12 months ago, how has your television viewing changed?
Q: In the next 12 months, how do you expect your television viewing to change?
Interestingly, online video appears to have reached the point of mass market penetration across all
demographic and age groups. Consumers who are watching more online video compared to 12
months ago skew older, female, higher educated, no children, and unmarried. The early adoption
stage of online video appears to have passed, and the early majority has begun to adopt online video
as a regular medium for news and entertainment.
It is important to note that
the adoption of online video
is not limited to the younger
generation. Online video’s
penetration has swelled
dramatically to encompass
both the younger and older
generations. We believe this
change has been driven
in part by the proliferation
of connected devices.
Widespread adoption of
devices ranging from PCs
to the iPad and smartphones
has made it easy for
consumers of all ages to
watch video content
whenever and wherever
they wish to do so.
Profile Of YuMe Viewers Who Say Online Video
Consumption Increased in the Past 12 Months
Age
18-34
22%
35-54
78%
Male
30%
Female
70%
No college degree
48%
College degree or more
51%
No
Gender
Education
Children in household
65%
Yes
33%
Marital Status
Married
42%
Not married
50%
Q: Compared to 12 months ago, how has your usage of online video changed?
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Online Video and Television Viewing Attitudes and Behaviors
This increase in adoption is likely also due to the perception that the quality of online video has
improved dramatically over the past 12 months. Moreover, 42% of consumers believe that online
video is the future of video viewing.
Attitudes Towards Online Video vs. Television
NET
DIFFERENCE
DESCRIBES TV BETTER
DESCRIBES ONLINE VIDEO BETTER
Has improved a lot over
the past 12 months
8
48
+40
Is the future of
video viewing
8
42
+34
50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
Q: For each statement below, please indicate whether the statement describes television better
than online video OR whether the statement describes online video better than television.
With greater accessibility and improvements in video quality, marketers can now reach a broad
audience via online video.
SHORT-FORM CONTENT REIGNS SUPREME ONLINE
While the consumption of online video across all content categories is strong, short-form content is
the dominant length of content watched regularly online. Specifically, 70% of respondents across
YuMe’s video ad network watch program clips that are shorter than 5 minutes in length, while only
25% watch 30-minute programs and 29% watch 60-minute programs online.
Lengths Of Content Watched Once A Week Or More
Short program clips, less than
5 minutes
70
Online Video
Television
6
Programs between 5 and
15 minutes in length
35
As technology
improves and
more content
is available,
viewing of
longer content
online will
likely increase
5
Programs 16 to 29 minutes
14
9
30-minute programs
25
76
60-minute programs
29
87
Programs longer than 60 minutes
25
58
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Q: Which of the following lengths of online video content do you watch once a week or more?
BASE: Respondents who watch television in a typical week
Q: Which of the following lengths of television programming do you watch once a week or more?
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Online Video and Television Viewing Attitudes and Behaviors
Regardless of their content preferences, users are increasingly watching online video as part of their
daily routine. Almost half of online video viewers surveyed watch video content daily, while 37% watch
it several times a week. The mean time spent is 7 hours per week for viewers on YuMe’s network.
Frequency Of Watching Online Video
Once/week
14
Several times/week
37
Daily
49
Mean hours
spent per
week = 7
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Online Video As Part Of Daily Routine
(Point scale where 5 means “Strongly Agree”)
Watching online video is a
major part of my daily routine
22
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Q: About how often would you say you watch any type of video content online on a computer?
Q: About how much time do you spend watching online video in a typical week? If you are not sure,
please give your best estimate to the nearest hour.
Q: Please indicate the extent to which you agree with each of the statements below.
People consume online video in an effort to “be in the know” about trends and current events.
When asked about their attitudes towards online video versus television, 50% of respondents said
online video has exclusive content that is not available elsewhere, while 34% of respondents said
online video is a great way to stay up-to-date and know what’s hot right now.
Attitudes Towards Online Video vs. Television
NET
DIFFERENCE
DESCRIBES TV BETTER
DESCRIBES ONLINE VIDEO BETTER
Has exclusive content that is
not available elsewhere
7
50
+43
Is a great way to stay up-to-date
and know what’s hot right now
10
34
+24
Has high-quality content
19
20
Note that the
quality of online
video is on par
with the quality
of television.
+1
Has content I talk about
with friends
18
19
+1
50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
Q: For each statement below, please indicate whether the statement describes television better than online
video OR whether the statement describes online video better than television.
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