Video: It’s not just for Television anymore

That black box that the family used to gather around to watch the likes of Three's Company isn't alone anymore. While certainly not obsolete, television is certainly no longer a single source for consumers to watch video. The Internet is fast becoming the source of video reference, as more people in the US are watching online video - with more frequency - than ever before, according to a recent report by eMarketer.

A simple sampling of how video has evovled:
-In 2003 there were 52.3 million online video viewers.
-The projection for 2010? More than DOUBLE that number with 157 million viewers.



With everything, someone wins and someone loses. In this case, viewers win because they can now watch sports clips, television series, and other videos at their leisure. This is important for companies with a huge online presence. There are options (and integration considerations) when determining reach and frequency in their marketing efforts. Broadcast advertisers (and those that sell in that space) lose however, as consumers are no longer restrained by broadcast network schedules.

The trend should be a red flag for marketers not yet factoring video on the internet into their plans. If you haven't already, it's time to step up to the plate and adjust budgets to reflect this upwardly mobile trend, if they really want to reach their target where they are "consuming" media.