Americans Turning From TV To Online Video

The writers’ strike has fuelled a surprising growth in demand for online video, with YouTube figures rising by 18%.

It’s something few had thought about, but one side effect of the current Hollywood writers’ strike has been a dramatic surge in viewing figures at online video-sharing sites.   The BBC has reported that a Nielsen Online study has shown some sites reporting a doubling in figures since October, while a Pew Internet study found that 48% of US Internet users visited a video-sharing site at some point in 2007, with 15% of them either watching or posting video during a typical day.   Now, though, with no new shows airing on television, figures have risen. Crackle has doubled its viewers, while YouTube says numbers are up by 18%.   "That is greater growth than you would normally see in such a short period and the strike could be a possible factor," said Nielsen analyst Alex Burmaster.   The Pew study has looked at the online impact of online video sharing and determined that men are a little more likely to use sites than women, but the majority of viewers (70%) are under 30. Around 22% of Americans now make their own videos, and 14% of them post at least some of that footage online.