Informational vs. Recreational

A study conducted by Advertising.com found that 62% of surveyors admitted to watching videos online. Surprisingly enough the majority of this percentage are over the age of 35 searching news related videos, not young adults viewing user-generated videos. The Internet is used by most as an informational resource followed by recreational purposes, but lately the usage trend is starting to change. Listed below are some findings that could contribute to this change.

Within the first half of 2007 consumers reported spending 62% of their time watching news clips, 38% watching movie trailers and 36% watching music videos. Watching music videos has decreased by 11% since the end of 2006.

The 18-34 year old audience prefers to watch entertainment content which includes TV shows and music videos, while the 35 and older crowd prefers news related content. Also, the 18-34 year old consumer is responsible for creating the most content opposed to the 35 and older age group.

From previous reports, 18-34 year olds are interested in TV shows, movies and user-generated videos, while the 35 year olds are focusing more of their attention on sports clips and user-generated videos than ever before.

Will this lead to a decline in the time spent on watching television? Maybe, 51% of respondents would watch a TV episode online if they missed it on TV. On the other hand, 80% of respondents reported that online video usage does not cut into their time spent watching TV.