A new poll from Harris Interactive finds that an increasing number of Internet users are tuning into online video, they’d really rather watch full-length television shows and movies rather than user-generated video, news, or sports.
Unsurprisingly, the Harris Interactive survey of 2,455 U.S. adults found that about 65 percent of respondents have watched a video on Google’s YouTube video sharing site, compared to 42 percent during 2006. Furthermore, over 42 percent of YouTube viewers report they visit the site frequently, up from 33 percent last year.
YouTube was by far the most popular video site—respondents felt it offered almost every online video they could want—43 percent said they have watched a video on a TV network’s Web site, and 35 percent said they have watched video on news sites. Fewer than 30 percent said they had watched video through search engine sites like Google or Yahoo, and still fewer said they had watched video through social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook, or via Apple’s iTunes store (which requires the iTunes application).
Online video users seems to take particular joy in finding a notable online video. “Viewing videos online seems to inspire a sense of adventure, particularly among younger viewers,” Harris Interactive’s Joan Barten Kline in a statement. Over one third of online video users (and more than half of the respondents between 18 and 24 years of age) reported they enjoy finding a “cool video” online.
However, the survey is not all rosy news for the user-generated video industry: online video users said they would watch more full-length TV shows and movies online if they were available, and generally preferred that content to news, sports, or user-generated video.
