Broadband-video watchers doubled in past year
Almost two-thirds of U.S. Internet customers stream content
By Danny King -- Video Business, 10/2/2008
OCT. 2 | The percentage of U.S. broadband customers who streamed videos through an Internet browser has doubled in the past year, as TV networks, movie studios and other distributors have provided more content over the Web.
Almost two-thirds of U.S. online households watch videos online, up from 32% a year ago, according to ABI Research, citing its survey of almost 1,000 online households during the second quarter. The growth in social networking and faster Internet connections also contributed to the jump, ABI said.
"Consumers are changing their online habits quickly," ABI research director Michael Wolf said in a statement. "Broadband speeds have continued to increase at the same time that Hollywood has decided online distribution is a legitimate monetization opportunity that will increase total return on their video assets and expand audiences."
The results are consistent with a ComScore report last month that said that more than 142 million Americans collectively watched more than 11.4 million videos in July, up 26% from a year earlier. The jump also reflects the decision of companies such as Blockbuster, Netflix and Amazon.com to either start or improve their online-video distribution services via streaming or download.
About half of the people ABI surveyed who were younger than 30 said they watched long-form content such as TV shows or movies online at least once a month, while just a quarter of those older than 65 did the same, ABI said.
