New research has found that there is a large US audience of young, influential, engaged viewers who watch a great deal of long-form online video and pay attention to the brand messages delivered to them in online video environments.
The study, conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Veoh Networks, found that Engaged Viewers (viewers who watch more than an hour of online video a week) make up nearly 40% of all online video viewers and watch nearly 75% of all online video.
Of these Engaged Viewers, those who spend the most time consuming and sharing long-form content:
- Are more likely to watch videos all the way through
- Pay more attention to online video more than they do TV
- Interact with and rate the videos they watch more frequently
- Are twice as likely to recall in-video ads and post-rolls than non-Engaged Viewers
- Agree more readily that advertising is fair and helps pay for their free experience
- Consider banner ads and ads that come in between videos (mid-rolls) most effective
Steve Mitgang, CEO of Veoh Networks, said: “As online video viewing continues to grow as a primary source of entertainment, it will create many new opportunities for content providers and advertisers alike to reach engaged, influential audiences.
“Now is the time for advertisers to re-think their approaches to marketing in online video in order to captivate these valuable viewers as they drive online video into a mainstream entertainment medium.”
Forrester conducted the study with more than 1,013 people in the US who watch online video at least an hour each week.
The study further segmented Engaged Viewers into three sub-groups based on time spent watching video, types of videos watched, comfort level managing the video viewing experience, propensity to share videos, and amount of attention paid to online video compared to TV:
- Watchers, those who spend just over an hour watching video each week but, besides showing up to watch, don’t engage the experience deeply by controlling playback or sharing videos
- Controllers, those who go one step further; these younger viewers take an active role in controlling their video experiences and feel that online video is important to their lives
- Connectors, though just 7% of online viewers, consume 20% of all online video and do 42% of all online video sharing
The total number of consumers watching video streaming through a browser in the US has doubled over the past year, going from 32% to 63%, according to a recent survey of US online households by ABI Research.
Much of the longer-form content in the form of TV shows or films online, is being watched by younger viewers, said ABI (see Number Of US Households Watching Online Broadband Video Has Doubled).
Closer to home, comScore Video Metrix released figures which showed that More than 27.4 million UK internet users (78% of the total UK internet audience) viewed 3.2 billion videos online in June 2008 (see More Than 27.4m UK Internet Users Watched 3.2bn Videos Online In June).
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