One of the questions we frequently field from the clients to our consultancy practice is, "What are the usage numbers like when it comes to online media?"

A couple of recent reports can help shed some light:

1- eMarketer estimated the 2007 podcast audience to be 18.5 million and predicted it to rise to 28 million in 2008. 2007 podcast ad spending was at $165 million. Wizzard Media, owner of 3 of the leading podcast hosting companies, reported 1 billion podcast downloads in 2007 and the company is now traded publicly on the AMEX. (They served a billion podcasts WAY before McDonald’s served a billion burgers.)

2-comScore reports that users watched 10 billion online videos in December 2007, with over 141 million Americans taking part in the fun. At this writing, the rumor is that the writers’ strike is coming to a negotiated end. And not a moment too soon as comScore’s EVP of media and entertainment observed that "…viewers have been seeking alternatives for fresh content. It appears that online video is stepping in to fill that void."