Online media: CASE CLOSED!

Today comScore reported that in February 2008, US internet users watched 10 billion videos, up 3% from January and up 66% from one year ago. Google/YouTube led the way by a mile with 35% of all viewer traffic, with FOX Interactive a distant second at about 6%. The average online video viewer took in 75 videos in a month.

What is happening on the podcast front, you ask? The news is even more upbeat. 23 million people downloaded a podcast in the past month and the audio podcast audience raced up a staggering 38% with the video podcast audience up an even more impressive 45% since 2007. Sales growth of new iPod models and the iPhone has resulted in nearly 4 in 10 Americans now owning an iPod or other portable MP3 player, although this is somewhat misleading since fully 75% of podcasts are watched or listened to on people's computers and never get transferred to another device.

Edison Media Research concluded, "Continued growth and ubiquity means media companies need to have a podcast and iPod/MP3 player strategy." They also point out that broadband adoption has fueled remarkable growth of online video in addition to online audio so it is "important to provide compelling video options in addition to audio to hold your audience longer."

Now if we could only figure out a workable advertising model...