Time spent streaming outpacing number of streamers

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In the U.S., the amount of time spent streaming videos online is growing at a much faster rate than the number of video viewers, according to Nielsen.  Over the last three years, time spent watching video from home and work computers has more than doubled while the number of unique viewers increased 26% over the same period.


streaming v. streamers

In August, viewers aged 18-34 accounted for nearly 40% of total streaming time, with males 18-34 contributing 23%.  Video viewers aged 35-49 made up 26% of total steaming time during the month, followed by viewers over the age of 50 – the largest segment of the online video population – who spent over 9 billion minutes watching, 22% of total streaming time from home and work computers.

streaming by age

“The greater increase in time spent viewing compared to the number of unique viewers is likely due to an increase in the amount of video content available for viewers to watch, especially long-form content like movies and TV shows on sites like Netflix and Hulu,” said Jo Holz, SVP, Client Research Initiatives, Nielsen.

RBR-TVBR observation: This should raise a few red flags—these numbers reflect the increasing number of cord-cutters, and the increasing number of consumption of online entertainment in general. The ad dollars are following as well. If you look at programming on sites like Hulu and even network programming from Fox, for example, you will note there are almost the same number of ads and inventory during commercial breaks. This has increased dramatically in just a year or so.