Online Video: Not Just For Kids Anymore

Putting to rest the idea that only youngsters watch online video, a new study find that people between the ages of 35 and 54 accounted for nearly half (45 percent) of the online video viewed in August.

The research, conducted by comScore Networks and StreamingMedia.com, finds this age group was 20 percent more likely to watch online video than the average Internet user. Meanwhile, 25- to 35-year-olds are 12 percent more likely than the average Internet user to watch video online.

“Contrary to public perception, it’s not just ‘college kids’ or ‘bleeding edge’ Internet users who are streaming videos,” said Erin Hunter, senior VP of comScore Networks Media and Entertainment Solutions, in a statement. “This creates a fantastic opportunity for advertisers to capitalize on what is now a mainstream audience.”

The researchers gathered the statistics via a cross-section of comScore’s 1.5 million strong Internet user panel.

The report also says more than 100 million users, or nearly 60 percent of the U.S. online population, consume online digital media each month, either via streams or downloads.

Many of these media consumption sessions begin at a portal, with nearly two-thirds of Internet users streaming audio or video through one of the major all-purpose sites. Meanwhile, almost 50 percent did so from an entertainment site, more than 17 percent streamed content via a music site, and 15 percent even initiated a stream on a retail site.