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Study: TV tops in Internet video viewing

Study: TV tops in Internet video viewing

By Alex Woodson / Hollywood Report
Dec 10, 2007

NEW YORK -- A majority of adult Internet users watch video online during a typical week, with TV programming ranking as the most popular content, according to a survey set to be released Monday.

The survey, conducted by the Cambridge, Mass.-based Web personalization firm Choicestream, found that 55% of those surveyed watch online video each week, with 65% of that group reporting that they regularly watch traditional TV programming. Overall, 39% of respondents said they watch TV on an alternate device, with the computer by far the most popular nontraditional method.

Twenty% of consumers said they would watch more online TV during the next six months, with 55% of that group saying that would come at the expense of traditional TV viewing.

As expected, online video viewing is higher among younger respondents, with 66% of those between ages 18-24 saying they watch online video and about 70% of respondents ages 18-34 saying they watch TV on the Web.

A majority of online TV viewers watch an hour or more per week as well. Thirty-four% of consumers said they watch one to three hours per week and 33% said they watch at least four hours.

These numbers are even greater among users who prefer devices other than computers. Among those who watch TV on their mobile phones, 47% said they watch at least four hours. And 37% of consumers who watch TV on digital-media players like iPods watch at least four hours.

User-generated content was a distant second to TV in terms of what respondents watch online, with fewer than 40% saying that they regularly watch that type of material. Consumers ages 18-24 watch the most, with about 45% responding that they regularly watch online user-generated content.

The surveyed looked at the online habits of 824 adult Internet users in the U.S.