Archive notice: This article was originally published on July 8, 2008. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
Moving images dominate everyday life and media-consumption behaviour in our society. As the latest Nielsen “three-screen” report shows, internet use is becoming increasingly video-centric alongside traditional television. The online medium does not reduce television viewing; instead, it increases the total amount of time now spent in front of screens of every kind. As The New York Times reports, US citizens spent an average of 127 hours watching television in May and 26 hours using the internet. The amount of time devoted to both television and the web increased compared with the previous year.
The latest figures also show that online video is no longer regarded as a novelty but has become normal for a broad audience. Two thirds of all internet users in the United States—119 million people—now watch videos online. Compared directly with television, online-video viewing remains low. However, the growing popularity of video portals has long since attracted the attention of media groups and advertisers. More and more companies are also using television advertising on the internet in their promotional activities.
At the same time, increasing numbers of television broadcasters are making large parts of their programming available online as well. The web is becoming increasingly important as a source of video content, especially among younger generations. In the long term, traditional television will become irrelevant to young people under the age of 20, Goldmedia managing director Klaus Goldhammer told pressetext.de. Nevertheless, television broadcasters are not yet under threat. According to the Nielsen report, every hour of online-video consumption is matched by 57 hours that users spend in front of television screens.
Alongside television and the internet, moving images are also increasingly being consumed on mobile devices. Around 4.4 million people in the United States currently receive video content on their mobile phones. This cannot yet be described as mainstream use. According to Nielsen, however, an average user spends a substantial three hours and 15 minutes per month watching mobile video. Mobile television also remains a niche market in Europe, but its reach is slowly increasing as numerous new services appear. Japan remains the world market leader in the mobile consumption of television content.
