Friday, July 18, 2014

52 million Americans watched original digital videos last month. What about you?


A 2014 study from the IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau) indicated that 22% of American adults watch original digital video monthly, up from 15% in 2013.

The study also found that 28% watch tv online monthly and 31% watch amateur videos.  46% of those watch on their smartphones, 41% on their tablets, and 48% use internet-connected tv. (Loechner, 2014)

Is this consistent with your habits?  What kind of online videos are you watching and what device are you using to watch it?  Oh, and do you even look at the advertising preceding it?


Loechner, J. (2014, July 16)  53 Million US Viewers Watch Original Digital Video Each Month.  mediapost.com.  Retrieved July 17, 2014, from http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/229890/52-million-us-viewers-watch-original-digital-video.html

5 comments:

Erin Geoghegan said...

I actually watch much less online video than most people my age. At work, I need to be able to hear things around me so I don't usually put headphones in. At home, I'd rather do things that don't involve digital media/staring at a computer or phone screen. The only time I really watch videos on my phone is when a friend sends me a link relevant to our conversation.

As for advertising, I do watch it. I think advertisers are doing a good job (better over time) creating engaging content that is also contextual.

erinwho? said...

There are a lot of reports about how much time people are spending online as well as the increase in percentage of people watching online videos. However, I’m curious as to how many minutes they actually spent watching online videos.

I personally have a habit of multi-tasking when I’m in front of my tablet, computer and mobile phone and hate advertising before my youtube videos. The problem is the video ads are not as targeted as I would like them to be. Although I rarely watch TV, but if I ever watch it I will pay more attention as nowadays it is something I actually set out to do.

Netflix is great because it has no advertisements and occasionally I will try to watch online news clips but I get very annoyed by the ads before the videos and turn on the television or just read the articles instead. I’ve noticed this especially during this period when I want to know more about the recent developments on MH17.

On the other hand, I am more open to ads on YouTube where I have the option to skip them as I would like to decide what ads I want to watch. Youtube’s ‘ad skipping’ function has prove to be very successful. Although Google did not disclose specifics from their earnings reports that was published few days back, estimation is that their ad revenue had a 51% increase from last year.

I think people my age and younger is used to instant gratification and if they do not receive what they want immediately they will leave. Advertisers will need to be smart and capture their attention as well as serving highly targeted ads.

Stevie said...

I would say that this is definitely consistent with my habits. A lot of the time when I sit down to relax and watch television I don't want to waste my time watching something I don't like, so if there isn't anything particularly interesting to me, I will put on Netflix, or HBO GO and watch a show that I enjoy or care about.
There will also be times when a show available on Netflix, will also be airing on the television, when that happens I will immediately change from cable, and stream the show on Netflix, avoiding all commercials, as apposed to tuning in on network television, where I wind up getting obnoxious commercials every 5 minutes.
As for online videos, I will either watch tutorials on how to do something I don't know, or watch outstanding advertisements as research and inspiration.
Out of relation to my professional life (working in advertising) I will watch the ad beforehand. But the ads that engage me personally are the ones that are moving and tell stories; like the P&G and Visa Olympic campaigns or the Dove ads-- I'm a classic millennial.

Anonymous said...

If I am at home and if I do not have anything to do, watching a video on the internet is the best option to spend time.
First of all, watching TV online gives people opportunities to watch whatever they want, wherever they want, whenever they want. They do not have to be at home at a certain time to watch a TV show. Also, people can choose the shows that they want to watch. TV doesn't give them this opportunity.
Most people like watching and sharing videos. Therefore, some funny or interesting videos can become a topic which is talked about by everybody. It makes people watch online videos.
Personally, before watching a video if I see an ad which has an interesting topic, like soccer, for me , I always watch the ad. Moreover, nowadays, I'm watching some commercials of American brands which I didn't know when I was in Turkey. Also, some viral videos, like Heineken's ad, are always funny to watch.

Orkun Altinoz

Unknown said...

Nowadays I can totally say that I would live without TV. I always watch apple TV, Netflix or even videos that I find on the internet. When I want to watch something that goes on the TV at certain time I never watch live, I prefer to wait and watch it through the website.

For me they are doing great ads. I think most of them track what you like and then they now who they are talking to so that they know exactly what to advertise for me.

Rafaela