The networks’ online destinations are a popular place to view video, but Google’s YouTube is still the 800-pound gorilla in the video viewing space.
Google, including YouTube, has a 55.4% share of video viewing visits to online video site properties among US Internet users, according to September 2008 figures from Compete.
All four networks made it into the top 10, but market share for each is dwarfed by YouTube. NBC, in third place, garners a mere 3.9% of visits, but this marks the first time NBC has been in the top five. Fox Interactive Media also has a 3.9% share. ABC commands 2.8% of visits to online video sites, and CBS Interactive accounted for just 2%.
While YouTube defined this space and, along with the rest of Google, continues to draw the largest viewing share by far, it still has no proven ad business model that makes sense for advertisers or consumers.
That could change with its announcement in October 2008 that it has partnered with CBS to stream some of the network’s full-length TV shows, including “Dexter,” “Californication,” “MacGyver” and “Star Trek.” In addition, it partnered with MGM in November 2008 to post full-length TV shows and films on its site.
Hulu, which ranked No. 14 in Compete’s list, also made comScore’s top 10 online video site properties in the US ranked by videos viewed in July 2008, with 119.4 million. The ranking is all the more impressive considering that Hulu launched in March 2008, just four months prior to the study.
A free, ad-supported online video service bankrolled by FOX and NBC Universal, Hulu was launched as a hedge against video-sharing sites such as YouTube. The networks recognized that these kinds of video services would prove popular with consumers.
What sets Hulu apart is a clean interface and a deep, searchable catalog of content. It is also a single destination to view video from multiple sources, something that makes YouTube popular. It is no surprise that peer-to-peer video-sharing service Joost just relaunched with a more Hulu-like offering. Expect to see many similar properties soon.
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