UK internet users make over a billion visits to video sites each month

Research company Experian has revealed that UK internet users are spending more time online than ever, making over one billion visits to online video sites each month – a 16% increase on the previous year.

Last month, the UK spent a huge 323 million hours watching videos online – a 45% increase on 2012.

The exponential growth in online video viewing, which now accounts for 5% of all internet usage, has largely been driven by YouTube, which is the third most popular website in the UK behind Google UK and Facebook.

Of the total online video views, YouTube accounted for a massive 70% of these, and each month UK internet users spend approximately 203 million hours watching YouTube content – an average of 20 minutes per session.

One in five YouTube requests come from mobile devices, compared to one in twenty just two years ago.

“Although the primary source of video is still entertainment, more brands are taking advantage of this medium and using it to drive traffic to their web pages,” said James Murray, Digital Insight Manager for Experian.

“Our data shows that nine per cent of video downstream traffic is going directly to retail sites. As online video continues to evolve as a marketing channel, it is starting to have a greater impact on online traffic in the retail, travel and finance industries.

“Brands would benefit from incorporating video as a core part of their digital strategy, driving awareness traffic to their sites and helping to generate further sales.”