Viewers Want More TV Episodes and Movies Online, YouTube Rules

Online viewers are turning to the internet in greater numbers to supplement their traditional entertainment viewing, and in 2007 YouTube widened its lead as the top online video-viewing venue, according to a recent Harris Poll.

Search and content providers, along with community sites, have gained some ground while TV network sites are holding steady, the survey found.

The Harris Poll of 2,455 US adults (age 18+), of whom 1,983 are online video viewers, including 1,587 YouTube viewers, was conducted online by Harris Interactive Nov. 7-13, 2007.

Among other findings:

• Online video viewership has increased overall in the past year (81% versus 74%).
• YouTube’s viewers have increased the most: Nearly two-thirds (65%) of US online adults say they have watched a video there, compared with 42% at the same time last year; the greatest gains were among those over age 25.
• Over two in five (42%) YouTube viewers say they visit the site frequently, up from 33% last year.

• Over two in five US adults (43%) have watched videos on a TV network site (41% last year).
• Though viewing declines with age for most sites, including YouTube, viewing on TV network and news sites remains relatively consistent across age groups.

Demand for More TV Episodes and Movies

Asked about the types of videos they would watch more of online if they were available, respondents cited TV episodes and full-length movies most:

• More than a quarter said they would be likely to watch “a lot more” TV episodes (30%) and/or full-length movies (28%).
• Far fewer express enthusiasm for watching “a lot more” amateur or user-generated (8%), news (14%) or sports (13%) videos.

Copyright Restrictions

Despite its top position, YouTube has faced challenges including, copyright restrictions, which seem to have had an affect.

Asked if they have noticed that it has been harder to find the videos they are looking for on YouTube lately, 16% agreed.

 

Nevertheless, half (49%) agreed that “the best thing about YouTube is that you can find almost every video you might be looking for there.”