The online video arena can be cut and viewed from many angles, so it comes as no surprise that YouTube, Netflix and Hulu can all be seen as leaders.
According to the Nielsen Company, 9.3 billion videos were streamed in March, down 4.2 percent from the previous year and down 10.1 percent from February.
In the U.S., a viewer averaged 70.3 streams in March and spent 183.4 minutes watching online videos during the month.
YouTube was the top online video brand by unique viewers, as it boasted 90.1 million viewers in March, down 11.7 percent from the previous month. Yahoo! followed behind with 30.5 million viewers, up 19.4 percent from February.
Facebook was third with 23.3 million unique viewers, up 3.6 percent from the previous month, while Google was fourth with 15.2 million videos, up 122.9 percent.
By video streams, YouTube still ranked first with 4.7 billion streams in March, down 21.0 percent from February, according to Nielsen.
Hulu was second with 707.5 million streams, up 9.3 percent. Yahoo! followed with 244.4 million streams, up 24.2 percent.
CBS Entertainment Network ranked sixth by video streams, with 144.1 million in March, but this reflected 33.9 percent growth, the biggest step forward of any of the top-10 online brands. This was almost certainly thanks to March Madness.
According to Nielsen, Netflix led the way by time per viewer, as its average viewer spend 428.9 minutes watching videos on the video rental service in March, up 963.1 percent from February. Hulu trailed with 272.4 minutes, up 11.3 percent.
The top video ad network, ranked by potential reach, was Tremor Media, with 96.5 million unique viewers, or a viewer penetration of 53.5 percent, according to comScore.
Adconion Video Network was second with 81.6 million viewers, or a 45.2 percent viewer penetration. Advertising.com trailed with 80.8 million unique viewers, or a 44.8 percent penetration.
A recent survey commissioned by BrightRoll (the 10th largest online video ad network, according to comScore) found that 94 percent of advertising agencies plan on boosting their Web video budgets this year, despite the fact that almost half of the agencies surveyed have reservations because of their past online video campaigns.
The infamous auto-start tactic was pointed out as weighing down the credibility of the medium by 43 percent of respondents, followed by misrepresented pre-roll ads (26 percent) and video ads that are displayed below the fold on a Web page where only a few eyeballs might see them (22 percent).
Sources:
http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/online_mobile/more-than-nine-billion-video-streams-viewed-in-the-u-s-in-march/
http://www.comscore.com/Press_Events/Press_Releases/2010/4/comScore_Releases_March_2010_U.S._Online_Video_Rankings
http://www.comscore.com/Press_Events/Press_Releases/2010/4/comScore_Releases_March_2010_U.S._Online_Video_Rankings
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