The dream surely has to be that online video is open and available to everyone, no matter their background, age, or income.
Unfortunately that doesn’t appear to be the situation at the moment, with these factors playing a role in viewing habits.
Online Video
Online video comes in many forms. There is YouTube, with its mix of UGC and premium content. There are catchup TV services such as Hulu and the BBC iPlayer. There is the option to buy or rent shows from various source, notably Apple iTunes.
Then there are the connected TV services starting to show up, with Project Canvas and Google TV two of the biggest and boldest offerings.
However, the one thing all of these forms of online video have in common is the need for a Broadband Internet connection. And the faster it is, the better, as it means streaming is more fluid, and downloads less time-consuming.
The State Of Online Video
The importance of a decent broadband connection can be seen in the results of The State Of Online Video report from Pew Internet. 1,005 adults aged over 18 were surveyed and the results are pretty telling.
69 percent of Internet users (52 percent of the U.S. population as a whole) have watched online video in some form or another. However, the demographics show that age, income, and education influence the figures.
84 percent of those aged 18-29 have watched online video, between 30 and 49 it drops to 74 percent, and aged 50 and over it drops to just 53 percent.
In terms of income, it’s 78 percent of people with a combined household income over $75,000, 64 percent over $50,000, and just 46 percent under $50,000.
In terms of education, 75 percent of those who have either graduated or been to college have watched online video, while just 57 percent of high school graduates or drop-outs have done so.
Conclusions
I don’t think there’s much of a mystery here. Those with fast Broadband connections – likely to be younger, wealthier, and more educated – are the biggest consumers of online video.
To remedy this, Broadband is going to have to become more widely available, and cheaper. Which it surely will over the next few years.
[Via NewTeeVee]
