In the six months between September 2008 and April 2009, long-form streaming video exploded in popularity—the percentage of US Internet users watching online TV shows and movies doubled in that timeframe alone.
Such huge gains might seem at first to be chalked up to the fact that doubling from one percent to two percent is much simpler than doubling from 25 percent to 50 percent. Isn't watching TV shows online still a niche activity? But that's exactly what makes the new numbers so compelling; the percentages involved are significant, showing that online streaming has quickly become the on-demand method of choice for half of all young Americans.
According to recent data from Ipsos MediaCT's ongoing MOTION study, 51 percent of all Internet users between the ages of 18 and 24 have watched at least one streamed TV show in the previous 30 days. This number is up from only 18 percent in September 2008—nearly a tripling of use.
Now's a good time to reconsider posting full newscasts on your website.
