Consumers who watched TV online said it was convenient and helped them avoid commercials.
Online video of all types is unlikely to bite into US TV viewing time, according to Paul Verna, senior analyst at eMarketer.
"Rather than a wholesale shift in viewership from TV to the new-media channels, both media will actually grow in the next several years," Mr. Verna said. "Internet video will entrench itself in the content mainstream, right alongside TV, albeit not in such pervasive numbers."
According to eMarketer projections, by 2011 there will be 200 million broadband Internet users. Of them, 183 million, or 91%, will watch online videos.
As eMarketer mentioned in February, NBC's "Rewind" online video player complements consumer TV viewing instead of substituting for it.
For marketers, online video and TV viewing can be even more complementary.
A March 2007 comScore analysis of TV and online video viewing habits concluded that the Internet’s primetime block occurs between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. on weekdays. This segues neatly into the standard TV primetime schedule of 8 p.m. to 11 p.m., offering marketers an opportunity to tailor their messages accordingly.
“Marketers have a great opportunity to leverage Internet video in conjunction with their traditional TV buy and essentially double their 'primetime' commercial airing hours,” said Erin Hunter, executive vice president of media and entertainment solutions at comScore, in a statement.
