Broadband Video Audience Doubles
By Mark Fleischmann October 9, 2008 — The number of Americans viewing video with a browser has doubled in the past year, according to a survey by ABI Research.

A year ago, 32 percent of consumers watched broadband video. Today the figure is 63 percent. ABI's research director attributes the growth to increasing broadband speeds, Hollywood's embrace of online video as a "legitimate monetization opportunity," and content creation toolkits that help consumers roll their own.

What are they watching? According to the ABI press release: "All forms of content are contributing to the rise of broadband video consumption, including that of long-form TV shows, and much of the longer-form content today is being watched by younger viewers. When asked if they watched long-form content in the form of TV shows or movies online, nearly half of those under 25, and 53% of those aged 25-29 indicate they do so once a month or more. Older viewers are much more likely to have experimented once with online shows; three quarters of those over 65 who watch video online responded that they have never watched TV shows or movies online."

TV makers have gotten the memo. Several major manufacturers are building internet connectivity into their products—for example, Panasonic's Viera Link. They want to get those browser viewers away from their PC monitors and back in front of their DTVs, where they belong!

Pic courtesy of Eric's Vintage TVs. There are a lot of vintage-TV photo collections on the net but Eric's is exceptional.