50% of US Video Viewers Ditch TV
July 30, 2008 by Mike Abundo
Filed under Computers, Television
TV execs who see online video as a mere supplement to TV had best wake up and smell the coffee. A new study shows that 50% of American online video viewers watch network shows online instead of watching them on TV.
We’re already seeing network shows include clips obviously made for the Web. Soon whole network shows will be obviously made for the Web.
This erosion of the television audience was why CW eliminated online viewing of Gossip Girls in April.
With the economics still not yet working for the networks, here are a few scenarios in the short term: (1) Networks scale back dramatically on making shows available online, (2) a week-long (or longer) delay in episode availability to encourage live viewing.
An interesting survey conducted by PermissionTV and Arnold Worldwide back in the fall of 07. It touches upon the future of web video with major corporations, media companies and ad agencies. http://tinyurl.com/587nz9