blinkx, the world´s largest video search engine, today announced
the results of a new survey on television and online video viewing
habits conducted on its behalf by Harris Interactive(R). The survey,
designed to shed light into the interplay between television viewing
and Internet usage, revealed some startling results.
It´s Prime Time Online
There´s no question that the market for online television and
video has arrived. According to comScore, nearly 136 million
Americans, or 75% of total Internet users, watch online video.
Similarly, a July 2007 report from Pew Internet & American Life
Project entitled Online Video reported that 76% of young adults (age
18-29) consume online video, and that two-thirds of those individuals
(67%) then forward those videos on to friends and family.
"With the ubiquity of broadband and the increasing availability of
high quality content online, we wanted to better understand what
audiences are really looking for and how they want to watch it," said
Suranga Chandratillake, founder and CEO of blinkx. "Online television
shouldn´t simply replicate the living rooms TV experience we already
have. We wanted insight into how to bring combined television´s best
qualities, with the immersive, connected power of the Internet."
Media Multitasking
Many of the early concerns about online video revolved around the
Web stealing away television viewers. Today´s survey results point to
the fact that when it comes to TV vs. the Web, it´s not an either/or
proposition - it´s both.
When it comes to television viewing, the survey showed that more
than three in four adults are doing the two-screen tango. Viewers
aren´t necessarily abandoning their TV in favor of the Web; many are
using the Web as an accompaniment to their TV viewing. In fact, 78%
U.S. adults go online while watching TV, and more than a third of them
do so always or often.
Double Dippers
"Double-dippers" are comprised of adults who enjoy surfing the
Internet while watching television. Fully 62% of double-dippers surf
the web while watching television for content that is not related to
what they´re watching. And 25% of double-dippers go online for
information specific to the programming they are currently viewing.
Most commonly, double-dippers who surf the web for related content are
looking for more information or color about what they´re watching, be
it profiles of the actors (51%), products/services that appeared in or
were advertised during the program (40%), or related upcoming events
(39%).
Typers vs. Talkers
One generational consistency revealed in the survey is the
difference between a "talker" and a "typer." In general, the older the
individual, the more likely that person is to discuss TV content with
other individuals in person, i.e., with co-workers, friends or family.
These are the talkers. The largest segment of individuals that
routinely respond to TV content via face-to-face conversations (60%)
was the 35-44 age group. Correspondingly, individuals aged 16-24 are
most likely to interact with others online (17%) or read coverage or
reviews of TV content online (24%).
"Similar to double-dipper behavior," added Chandratillake, "it´s
not necessarily a question of either/or. Some individuals enjoy the
act of face-to-face conversation about television content; others
interact heavily online and value the sounding board provided by the
Web community. The fact that ´typers´ skew younger is an indicator to
the advertising community as to how and when to allocate online spend
as an adjunct to TV viewership."
Survey Highlights
A summary of some other highlights from the survey include:
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*T
-- 78% of adults who watch television use the web while doing so
-- 35% report doing so often or always
-- 62% of double-dippers surf for content related to what they´re
watching
-- 40% of them look for products/services that appeared in or were
advertised during the program they´re watching
-- 39% of them look for upcoming/related events
-- When it comes to watching video or television content online,
twice as many online adults typically watch full-length television
shows, movies, or sporting events, as compared to user-generated
content (25% vs. 13%, respectively).
-- When it comes to finding Internet video content, consumer behavior
is almost equally divided between search engines and users going
directly to content owner Web sites
*T
As the pioneer in video search technology, blinkx has built a
reputation as the smartest way to search new forms of online content
such as video. With more than 220 partners and 18 million hours of
indexed video and audio content, including favorite TV moments, news
clips, short documentaries, music videos, video blogs and more, blinkx
uses advanced speech recognition technology to deliver results that
are more accurate and reliable than standard metadata-based keyword
searches.
About the Survey
Harris Interactive(R) fielded the online survey on behalf of
blinkx between February 13 and February 18, 2008 among nationwide
cross-sections of 2,471 adults aged 18+ in the United States and 2,228
adults aged 16+ in Great Britain. The Great Britain data were weighted
to be representative of the total G.B. adult population on the basis
of region, age, sex, education, and income. The U.S. data were
weighted to be representative of the total U.S. adult population on
the basis of region, age within gender, education, household income,
and race/ethnicity. Both sets of data were weighted to be
representative of the population of online adults in each country.
All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability
sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most
often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error,
coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated
with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting
and adjustments. Therefore, Harris Interactive avoids the words
"margin of error" as they are misleading. All that can be calculated
are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities
for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These
are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this
ideal.
Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who
have agreed to participate in Harris Interactive surveys.
Because the sample is based on those who agreed to be invited to
participate in the Harris Interactive online research panel, no
estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.
About blinkx
blinkx plc (LSE AIM: BLNX) is the world´s most comprehensive video
search engine. Today, blinkx has indexed more than 18 million hours of
audio, video, viral and TV content, and made it fully searchable and
available on demand. blinkx´s founders set out to solve a significant
challenge - as TV and user-generated content on the Web explode,
keyword-based search technologies only scratch the surface. blinkx´s
patented search technologies listen to - and even see - the Web,
helping users enjoy a breadth and accuracy of search results not
available elsewhere. In addition, blinkx powers the video search for
many of the world´s most frequented sites. blinkx is based in San
Francisco and London. More information is available at www.blinkx.com.
About Harris Interactive
Harris Interactive is one of the largest and fastest-growing
market research firms in the world. The company provides innovative
research, insights and strategic advice to help its clients make more
confident decisions which lead to measurable and enduring improvements
in performance. Harris Interactive is widely known for The Harris
Poll(R), one of the longest running, independent opinion polls, and
for pioneering online market research methods. The company has built
what it believes to be the world´s largest panel of survey
respondents, the Harris Poll Online. Harris Interactive serves clients
worldwide through its North American, European and Asian offices, and
through a global network of independent market research firms. More
information about Harris Interactive may be obtained at
www.harrisinteractive.com.
To become a member of the Harris Poll Online and be invited to
participate in online surveys, register at www.harrispollonline.com.