The theme for this week must be the erosion of market share for dominant technologies. Earlier, we reported on the Firefox web browser's steady march into Internet Explorer territory, and today NewTeeVee points to a recent study from Ipsos MediaCT that shows the PC continuing to encroach on the television's dominating position for eyeball time when it comes to video watching. Where are you watching video? Vote in our poll below.
Ipsos MediaCT found that even though TV is still the dominant method of video consumption among those who have streamed a video online, that dominance is slipping. TV was down to 70% of video watching time from 75% last year, while "personal computer" jumped from 11% in 2007 to 19% this year. That was even more pronounced among teens. In the 12-17 age group, PC watching was 24%, while TV was down to 55% of screen time.
Though the shift toward the PC for video watching is more pronounced among the younger set, Ipsos said the trend was "relatively consistent across all age groups and genders." Even though the study only looked at the viewing habits of those who have streamed or downloaded video content, previous Ipsos MediaCT studies have found that is a rapidly growing segment of the population.
"Today, about half of all Internet users aged 12 and up have streamed a video file online in the past 30 days," said Adam Wright, Director at Ipsos MediaCT. "We really see these share gains in non-traditional video channels as not simply an isolated, generation-driven market effect, but rather a large macro-trend in the way consumers want their video content delivered that those in the entertainment industry should increasingly be paying attention to as we look forward to the rest of 2008 and beyond."
Last week, 28% of ReadWriteWeb readers indicated that they prefer online TV to cable. Now we'd like to ask you where you're watching most of your video these days? Bear in mind that a DVD watched on your television, is still video consumed via TV. (We realize this is not the same type of poll conducted by Ipsos MediaCT -- though it was clearly inspired by their study.) Let us know in the comments the different places you're watching video these days.
Comments
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on my TV but downloaded via bittorrent and watched through xbmc
Posted by: orangey | June 5, 2008 12:32 PM
Well, youtube is not going to be that huge.
Posted by: Andrei Potorac | June 5, 2008 2:31 PM
No cable at all for me, I watch most video downloaded via BitTorrent or DVD on Xbox 360. Only watch YouTube for small info clips or things not available elsewhere, not for entertainment. The quality is awful.
Posted by: Morgan | June 5, 2008 3:54 PM
Youtube will be the king of the internet
Posted by: MariaDavey | June 5, 2008 4:46 PM
Josh,
Apple TV has totally transformed my TV watching experience. I've been using it since before their v.2 release. V.2 made it much more compelling though and it's almost entirely dominated my home entertainment center eclipsing both TV and DVD.
I get LOST episodes via iTunes (even though I know it's available free via ABC.com) because they're commercial free and it's worth the $2. I'll download movies on demand for $4 because they're viewable immediately vs. driving to Blockbuster. When there's a couple of us hanging around we'll pull up the latest Youtube favorites for that week and browse around various searches. It's a social activity because invariably someone has always received something funny at work that they share. Watching YouTube leisurely is something I would have never done before but the Apple TV has transformed the interaction so it's a viable substitute for prime time TV. And lastly, I use it to watch TED talks via their podcast on Apple TV. The latest version of their software makes it so you can stream the talks immediately without even downloading them so browsing and watching on demand is hugely convenient. Playing music on it is neat at a dinner party because the screensaver brings in your photos from iPhoto and cascades them in the background - another social conversation starter...
I wrote up a lot more thoughts when I first got the Apple TV here-> http://www.scrollinondubs.com/2007/09/24/first-impressions-of-apple-tv/
Bottomline, yea I would be way scared if I were a traditional TV station and not doing something in preparation for the exodus of TV watchers that we'll inevitably see very soon.
sean
Posted by: Sean Tierney | June 5, 2008 6:27 PM
hey i just realized after posting that the original question had to do with YouTube and not Apple TV. I started writing and got off on a tangent. But the reality is i never used YouTube before Apple TV. The combo of those two is a deadly blow against traditional TV.
sean
Posted by: Sean Tierney | June 5, 2008 6:29 PM
@Sean: Nahh, I wasn't specifically talking about YouTube -- the title was just an allusion to YouTube's dominance of the online video market (about 75% according to Hitwise). You were on track. ;)
Thanks for the comment!
Posted by: Josh Catone
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June 5, 2008 8:47 PM
YouTube will be the king of content because he is user generated.
User generated content is more interesting than what big media wants to shove down our collective throats ie. advertising for lame and useless products.
http://www.bestsnippets.com
Posted by: Best Snippets | June 6, 2008 7:06 AM
Where in this study does it say that YouTube is taking over? As I read it, it's just saying that people are consuming more media on their PC and less on their TV. That media could be television or movies from big studios, not 2 minute YouTube clips.
Posted by: Jon | June 6, 2008 9:00 AM
@Jon: As I already said in the comments, the headline is an allusion to YouTube's growing dominance of the online video sector. In this case, "YouTube" is used as a metaphor for all online video -- not a literal interpretation of the study.
Posted by: Josh Catone
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June 6, 2008 9:33 AM
I'd guess that more than 50% of my video watching is done on the PC and tv no more than 10-15%. If I could only get my wife away from the tv, I'd get rid of cable altogether. Amazing how we get over 200 channels and about 198 are pure junk.
Posted by: Ken | June 9, 2008 6:53 PM
I'd be interested in people's reason for their preference. For me it's about watching when it suits me, as opposed to when the shows are broadcast - I refuse to stop my life for TV but there are shows I enjoy and don't like to miss out on. Also, it's about fresh and new content - NZ TV runs a lot of shows I have no interest in and we miss out entirely on some of the British and US shows that I find really enjoyable.
Posted by: Sal | June 11, 2008 4:04 PM