Blip.tv Web Series Have 10% The Audience of NBC, ABC and Fox Combined

As original Web series continue to boom, viewership is moving into Prime Time, as reported by the Wall Street Journal online. Blip.tv is at the head of this trend. A year ago, peak viewing time for the online video site was between 12 and 3 pm. Today, the most viewers are tuning in to Blip.tv between the hours of 8 and 11 pm, across United States time zones. This is a huge accomplishment for Blip.tv and for web video as a whole. It signals a shift in the type of content that is attracting viewers, as well as proof of the fact that online video is on its way to becoming a force to be reckoned with for network television. The Wall Street Journal commented on what these new statistics mean for video on the web: "The shift is likely to create new opportunities for Internet video providers, including access to new distribution platforms and premium advertisers. It also signals that Internet video providers could eventually lure people away from traditional television, analysts say - something the emerging industry has failed to do to date. "The rise in prime-time viewing also underscores how consumers are opening up to a wider array of content during nighttime, habits that will shape what they watch when they can get Internet and TV content on one device, said James McQuivey, an analyst at researcher Forrester Research. "The moment we start doing more prime time Internet video viewing on the TV, then Internet video is actually competing with old-school television," he said." Blip.tv responded to the WSJ post on their own blog, pointing out how cool it is that the independent, low budget shows produced on their site are able to compete with major network television shows. According to Blip.tv's blog, the site's web series currently garner 10% of the audience of shows from NBC, ABC and FOX combined. That's a lot, especially when you consider that there are more television sets than households in the United States. Blip.tv also pointed out that they are about to hit 100 million views per month, signaling their rapid growth. Jim Louderback, Chief Executive of Revision3, which has also seen tremendous growth particularly in the Prime Time slot, attributes the increase in Prime Time online viewing to the growing number of people who are watching web video on their television sets. According to the WSJ post, "Mr. Louderback said 40% of users say they watch its service on a TV, up from 25% a year ago. He projects the trend will expand the market for Internet video significantly in the coming years, driven by new services from Google, TiVo Inc., and other companies that are trying to make it easier for users to access Internet video on television." Do you watch Web video during Prime Time? How do you see competition between network television and web series progressing in the future?

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Blip.tv Web Series Have 10% The Audience of NBC, ABC and Fox Combined

Megan O'Neill

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