Change in online viewing habits

On this blog, we talk a lot about the experience. In other words, making the consumption of online content an easy and pleasant one for the consumer, as well as one that adds value. The thinking up until now was that "video snacking," or the consumption of sub 3-minute clips, was the holy grail. Turns out, maybe not so much...

When NBCs "The Office" premiered back in September, it attracted a broadcast  audience of about 10 million, but it also attracted an online audience of nearly 3 million more in one week, according to exec producer Greg Daniels. Nielsen revealed that one in four internet users had watched a full length TV episode in the past 3 months, with a surprising 23% of them in the 35-54 age group.

Watching full length episodes on your computer was the sort of behavior that was thought to be years away. The networks are not thrilled, as crystallized by the now infamous words of NBC prez Jeff Zucker and his unwillingness to trade "analog dollars for digital pennies." The good news for advertisers is that their ads are more likely to be remembered since there are fewer of them and they can potentially be better targeted.

The toothpaste is out of the tube and the networks are holding on for dear life. What have they learned from the music business?