A new study conducted for the IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau) indicates that about 1 in 5 Americans over the age of 18 (52 million people) watch "original digital video" each month, a 19 percent increase from a year ago. Original digital video is defined as professionally produced video only for online distribution and viewing (not TV). The category does not include amateur online video or network TV shows online.
The study also showed a significant increase in viewership of TV online, leading to the conclusion that "more consumers are turning to the Internet for video entertainment." According to the study, original digital video is perceived by consumers as "more innovative, edgy, unique, and mobile compared with regular TV." The study suggests, "Though not a complete substitute for regular TV, original digital video is being taken seriously as a fresh new way to consume quality programming."
Original digital video also has some powerful lasting effects as compared to regular TV. For example, more than half (52 percent) of consumers who watch original digital video "do social media activities related to the shows" vs. 38 percent who do the same for primetime TV. Word of mouth and social media play a large role in the discovery of original digital video. Since original digital video tends to be shorter than regular TV, it is shared more often via social media.
Consumers say that "watching on my own schedule" is a major reason for their preference for original digital video. Shorter form content is also popular on the "smaller screen;" i.e., tablets and smartphones.
The study indicates that viewers'perceptions of original digital video have grown more positive over the past year and that original digital video fills a "different niche" from regular TV.
This study has major implications for marketers. Original digital video could be a way for marketers to create engaging, compelling content that is far less expensive to produce than traditional television advertising or programming. Think of it as a new media opportunity that opens up a video path for marketers who have found television to be prohibitively expensive.
Maybe original digital video could be a gamechanger for you.
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