Online video is a business that has been years in the making. Thanks to the proliferation of broadband and the popularity of the YouTubes of the world, it is now what analysts at Piper Jaffray call "the new killer app of the Web."
But the app is not as killer for females as it is for males.
This year there will be an estimated 97 million females online in the US, compared with 91 million males. A clear majority. When it comes to viewing video online, however, their positions are reversed.
"While 78% of males watch video online, only 66% of females do," says Debra Aho Williamson, eMarketer senior analyst and the author of the new Women Online: Taking a New Look report. "They are less likely than males to visit most video destination sites — even the biggie, YouTube."
The disproportion is all the more surprising because females watch more TV than males. So what do females watch online?
A study conducted by InsightExpress for Advertising.com indicated that news clips are the most popular type of online video for all US adult viewers.
A study by Piper Jaffray also found that news appealed to both genders (52.3% of adult men and 48.9% of women). After that, though, differences appeared. Men were more likely to watch amateur videos, music videos and movie previews. Women favored movie previews and then music videos.
Among female BabyCenter visitors, the most popular type of video was entertainment (chosen by 61% of respondents), followed by news (56%).
"Getting the female audience engaged is crucial for the success of online video, and over the next few years, marketers and online video content providers will need to figure out exactly how to get that job done," says Ms. Williamson. "They have no choice. They have to."
For a better understanding of what women are thinking when they use the Internet, read eMarketer's new Women Online: Taking a New Look report today.