There often are unanticipated consequences in life, and it appears that the U.S. entertainment industry writers strike has given people an opportunity to sample more online video clips than ever before, comScore suggests.
Its December 2007 report suggests U.S. Internet users watched more than 10 billion videos online during the month, representing the single heaviest month for online video consumption since comScore initiated its tracking service. Google saw substantial growth and extended its video market share gains, now accounting for nearly one out of every three videos viewed online.
The issue isn't so much that online videos are a replacement for network TV shows. The issue is that online video viewing is a substitute use of time and attention. Ultimately, that is crucial for any media segment and the contestants within any segment.
Essentially, the writers strike has encouraged users to sample a new product. And sampling typically is one of the best ways to encourage users to adopt a new behavior. One of the unanticipated effects of the writers strike may be that a new group of online video viewers has been added, with a permanent change in at least some of their entertainment video habits.
“December represented a considerably strong month for online video viewing,” says Erin Hunter, comScore EVP. “With the writer’s strike keeping new TV episodes from reaching the airwaves, viewers have been seeking alternatives for fresh content. It appears that online video is stepping in to help fill that void.”
Online viewers watched an average of 3.4 hours (203 minutes) of online video during the month, representing a 34 percent gain since the beginning of 2007.
The average online video duration was 2.8 minutes and the average online video viewer consumed 72 videos.
