Watching TV online has been gaining in popularity. Nearly one-fifth of American households who use the Internet watch television broadcasts online. This is double the viewership from 2006. The top two destinations for online broadcasts are official TV channel homepages and YouTube.com.
Being able to watch broadcasts on their own time and at their convenience are the top reasons users tune in online. Other reasons include avoiding commercials and portability. Nearly 72% of online households log on for entertainment purposes on a daily basis, and one in ten cites entertainment as the most important Internet activity.
Among consumers connecting to online broadcasts, 43% tune into the news, 39% watch drama shows, 34% view sitcom/comedy shows, 23% watch reality shows, 16% view sports, and 15% view user-generated content. Other categories attracting viewers include previews, additional content from favorite shows, soap operas, and advertisements.
Among online TV viewers, almost nine out of ten watch online broadcasts at home. About 15% say they watch Internet broadcasts in the office, and 6% watch TV online from other locations, including the library or a friend’s home.
The Consumer Internet Barometer is based on a quarterly survey of 10,000 households.
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