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Viewers for Broadband Videos Double in One Year's Time

October 9, 2008

By Jennifer Hull

ABI Research has released the results of a recent survey of U.S. households with broadband Internet access which reveals that the number of consumers watching online broadband video has doubled over the past year, increasing from 32 percent one year ago to 63 percent today. ABI Research credits the increase to the amount of rich content available in ad-supported format on portals and through social networks, as well as increasing demand from consumers for video in both short- and long-form online.

Faster Broadband Speeds Prompt Growth

"Consumers are changing their online habits quickly," says ABI's research director Michael Wolf. "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. At the same time, easy to use content creation tools are being put into the hands of consumers and this has effectively created new forms of communication and entertainment."

Broadband Content Has Great Appeal for Younger Viewers

While all forms of content are contributing to the rise of broadband video consumption, including long-form television shows, younger viewers account for a substantial number of theses viewers. When asked if they watched long-form content in the form of TV shows or movies online, nearly half of those under the age of 25, and 53 percent of those aged 25 to 29 indicated they do so once a month or more. Older viewers are much more likely to have experimented once with online shows; three quarters of those older than 65 who watch video online responded that they have never watched TV shows or movies online.

"Today's younger consumers are developing habits that will mean drastic changes for the video entertainment market," said Wolf. "Many consume a large percentage or even a majority of their video entertainment through online distribution today, and we believe that this trend will continue to accelerate as more efforts are made to put this content on various non-PC screens."