Online video continues to grow in US

Seven in ten adult internet users (69%), or roughly half (52%) of all US adults, have used the internet to watch or download video, according to research by the Pew Research Center. Young adult internet users aged 18-29 continue to be the heaviest consumers of online video.

Between 2007 and 2009, there were dramatic increases in the number of Americans who watch the following kinds of videos online: comedy or humorous videos, which rose in viewership from 31% to 50% of adult internet users; educational videos, which rose in viewership from 22% to 38% of adult internet users; movies or television show videos, which rose in viewership from 16% to 32% of adult internet users and political videos, which rose in viewership from 15% to 30% of adult internet users.

Among online video watchers, 8% have connected their computer to their television so they can watch online video on a television screen. This represents 5% of all internet users, which is slightly lower than the 8% of internet users who were watching online video on their television screens in an April 2009 Pew Internet survey. One in ten video watchers (10%), or 7% of all internet users, have paid to watch or download a video. In 2007, 4% of internet users had paid to access or download video online.

On the other side of the camera, the 2009 survey found that 14% of internet users have uploaded a video to the internet so others can watch or download it. That figure is almost double the 8% of internet users who were uploading video in 2007. Women are now just as likely as men to upload and share videos, and social networking sites such as Facebook are as popular as video-sharing sites such as YouTube as locations for video uploading.