1 in 10 internet users watching TV online

from multichannel news

Survey: One in 10 Watching TV Online

A new survey said about one in 10 U.S. online consumers now watches
television broadcasts online, mostly for convenience and to avoid
commercials.

The Conference Board’s Consumer Internet Barometer survey of 10,000
households across the country said respondents mostly were still
watching as much TV on the TV as they had been, despite adding some
online viewing to the mix.

Three out of four online views said their traditional TV-viewing
habits haven’t changed, a small percentage said it had decreased and a
smaller number said it had increased, according to a summary of the
survey, co-produced by TNS.

This was the first Consumer Internet Barometer survey to ask about TV
viewing online, a spokeswoman said.

More than two-thirds of online consumers log on daily for
entertainment purposes, and 16% seek entertainment online several
times per week. About one-third of households that watch TV online
contain multiple viewers, the nonprofit Conference Board said.

David...

Not that many people have HD sets, and watching tv on the compuyer
gets vastly underrated by those who don't do it.

News broadcasts are the most popular go-to content online, drawing
more than 62% of online TV viewers, followed by entertainment viewing
(nearly 50%). Other popular content: missed favorite shows; previews;
sports; and seeing entire episodes of shows, each drawing a yes vote

David...

All major and college sports have online services now. There's ESPN360
and ESPN Gameday, and MLB.tv, which this year is being copied by the
NBA. Also Yahoo has an NFL service available outside the USA.

pkj0891...

I dunno . . . There's something wrong with these numbers. My son, who
will turn 26 in December, spent a bundle (nowhere near $5000, though)a
few months ago for HDTV just so he could watch sports programming in
all its glory. He also has a DVR and Tivo, in order to minimize
commercial time. Most of his friends have some sort of comparable
gadgets.

What are the demos for online TV viewing? I just don't see a bunch of
young guys hanging around a computer screen to watch their favorite
programs, sports or otherwise.

from more than 25% of online TV viewers.

Streaming (53%) and free downloads (49%) are the most popular methods
for viewing TV online, as few consumers are willing to pay per

Steven L....

For now, yes. But CBS has entered into an agreement with YouTube to
provide their own content on YouTube for free, as long as YouTube
provides associated CBS advertising alongside the content.

There's no reason why downloads can't have embedded or alongside
commercial advertising, once they work out all the kinks. Figuring out
how to deal with *local* advertisers is going to be tricky though.
Currently the local affiliates insert local advertising into the station
breaks and the networks don't want to freeze out the affiliates.

download or buy a subscription service, the survey said. A news
release on the survey did not provide comparisons on the subject from
past surveys.