We are a nation of online video lovers, with a new report from Media Technology Monitor (MTM) saying 80% of Anglo-Canadians now watch some form of online video each month.
Streaming video is now the most popular form of online entertainment, ranking just behind general searches and sending/receiving e-mail when it comes to overall internet activity.
Online TV also continues to grow in popularity, with 47% of anglophones watching a TV show or clip – a 12% increase since fall 2013 – 37% of anglophones now watching full episodes online. Despite online TV’s increased popularity, however, only 9% of anglophones watch exclusively online – and nearly 50% still use a traditional TV set exclusively.
The study found the average anglophone 18+ now watches 8.2 hours of online video a week, up from 7.2 hours a week the year prior.
YouTube remains the de facto leader for streaming video, with 69% of anglophones watching video on the site, up from 66% a year ago and 58% in 2011. Nearly half of YouTube users said they used the site daily, with 47% indicating that they are watching on a smartphone.
Approximately one sixth (16%) of online video viewers have used Vevo, while approximately 14% have used Vimeo. The report noted many other video sites also post their content to YouTube.
The study also said men are slightly more likely than women to watch online video (83% versus 77%), as are younger and higher-income anglophones. Nearly half (47%) of internet video viewers watch from a smartphone, while nearly a third (31%) watch from a tablet.
Shorter clips tend to resonate more with consumers, with YouTube videos accounting for 69% of the types of videos viewed online, ranking ahead of TV programs/clips (47%), full-length movies (39%) and full-length TV programs (37%).
Online consumption of movies has increased by nearly 150% since fall 2011, which the study attributes to the growing popularity of Netflix. Approximately 39% of anglophones now subscribe to the streaming video service, an increase of 34% from last fall.
An estimated 29% of anglophones now watch live sports online, up from 26% last year.
The findings are based on a fall 2014 telephone survey of 4,002 anglophones from all regions of Canada conducted by Forum Research between Oct. 8 and Dec. 12. They are considered accurate within plus or minus 1.5% 19 times out of 20.
