search marketing blog: ambergreen

According to new research carried out by the BBC and ICM Research, the rise of online video is impacting on traditional TV viewing figures, with 43% of British people watching video on their mobiles or online at least once a week, cutting the amount of time they spend watching TV.

The survey of 2,070 people found that 75% of the respondents watch more TV online and on mobile devices than they did a year ago, and although only 9% do so regularly, they admitted that they spent less time watching TV as a result.

It hasn’t been a good year for TV, with online ad revenue impacting heavily on traditional media sales. Channel 4 recently issued a warning that it is likely to be overtaken in ad revenue by Google this year. Channel 4 has entered negotiations with Google to discuss the possibilities of making its programming content available online, but as internet spend continues to rise while TV ad spend falls, the threat of online seems set to cause TV bosses concern for the foreseeable future.

The success of sites such as YouTube has helped the online video market grow, and experts predict that the online video advertising market in the US will be worth around $410 million this year, with this figure predicted to rise to $3 billion by 2010.

While most of those surveyed who regularly watched video online were aged 16 to 24, use across all age groups was noted, including in the 65+ category. 10% said that they didn’t watch online video at the moment but intended to do so in the next 12 months, which could drive an even greater need for TV to make a concerted effort to move online as the internet threatens not only ad revenue, but also viewing figures.

It seems that viewing is at the start of a revolution, and one which should be taken seriously, and as mobile operators pull out the stops to get customers using mobile internet services, it looks like 2007 might be the year when it all starts to happen.

Posted in News, Mobile Search |