More US consumers watching TV online
Nearly one out of four US households watches TV online, up from 20% last year, according to The Conference Board and TNS.
TNS also found that Hulu.com is catching up with YouTube as one of the most popular sites for watching TV programmes online, with the number of households visiting Hulu.com increasing almost fourfold in the past year.
The Consumer Internet Barometer, a quarterly report produced by The Conference Board, the global business membership and research association, and TNS, a global market insight and information group, surveys 10,000 households across the US and tracks who’s doing what online.
Nearly 80% of consumers log on daily for entertainment, the survey reveals, with entertainment cited as one of the most important internet activities, behind only personal communication and work-related activities.
News shows are the most popular online programs – watched by about 43% of online US TV viewers. About 35% enjoy sitcoms, comedies and dramas, while 19% view reality shows and 18% follow sports.
Two-thirds of all online TV viewers access their favorite programs through streaming video, while 41% make use of free downloads. Nine out of ten online viewers enjoy online TV from their own home. One out of ten logs on at the office.
More than two-thirds of online TV viewers access television content through the official TV channel’s homepage. Youtube.com retains second place, accessed by 42% of online TV viewers. Hulu usage has grown from 8% of households in 2008 to 32% today.
“The rise of Hulu is not just a coincidence,” says Bernard Brenner, senior vice president, Innovation & Product Development at TNS, said: “Hulu and other online TV viewing options have created a user experience equivalent to how people self categorize content – sorting by brand, genre and popularity. This user experience, along with a deep library of branded content, has created a service that continues to resonate with users.”
Nielsen’s latest A2/M2 Three Screen Report for Q2 revealed that in the US time spent watching online video was up 46% year on year – a real term increase of 59 minutes.
Looking closer to home, recent research found that UK media buyers will be increasing online video advertising budgets by 50% over the next 12 months.
The Online Video Advertising Buyers’ Guide – the first bi-annual report from Web TV Enterprise – surveyed 101 media buyers booking pre-roll advertising campaigns and found that almost all (97%) were planning on either maintaining or increasing video advertising spend.