Americans Turning From TV To Online Video

By Digital Trends Staff January 10, 2008

It’s something few had thought about, but one side effect of the current Hollywood writers’ strike has been a dramatic surge in viewing figures at online video-sharing sites. The BBC has reported that a Nielsen Online study has shown some sites reporting a doubling in figures since October, while a Pew Internet study found that 48% of US Internet users visited a video-sharing site at some point in 2007, with 15% of them either watching or posting video during a typical day. Now, though, with no new shows airing on television, figures have risen. Crackle has doubled its viewers, while YouTube says numbers are up by 18%. "That is greater growth than you would normally see in such a short period and the strike could be a possible factor," said Nielsen analyst Alex Burmaster. The Pew study has looked at the online impact of online video sharing and determined that men are a little more likely to use sites than women, but the majority of viewers (70%) are under 30. Around 22% of Americans now make their own videos, and 14% of them post at least some of that footage online.

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