Online video goes mainstream

Online video became a mainstream way of consuming content via the internet in 2007, with the number of people viewing video online increasing by a dramatic 45% over the year according to a study by the Pew Internet research centre reported by ClickZ.

According to the study of more than 20,000 people in the US, 48% of internet users now visit video sharing web sites, up from 33% in 2006.

The key reason for the explosion in online video viewing has been the spread of broadband, the report finds. The explosion of video content sites and the soaring profile of YouTube were also significant.

“What we see with broadband, once people get used to it, invest in it, and figure out what it means in their lives, the internet becomes a much more central utility in their life,” Pew director Lee Rainie says.

The new popularity of YouTube is reflected in data showing that the range of people using the video content site is broadening, with the percentage of women using the site daily increasing from 5% to 11% in the past year and the proportion of people over 30 visiting the site increasing to 14%.