San Francisco — Google’s YouTube retained its position as the top U.S. digital video property, surpassing more than 10 billion videos viewed in August, indicating 40 percent of the more than 25 billion videos viewed during the month, according to internet traffic tracking firm comScore, Inc.
The Reston, Va.-based digital industry measuring firm also reported that overall online video watching reached an all-time high with more than 161 million U.S. Internet users watched more than 25 billion online videos during August, the largest audience ever recorded with YouTube luring a commanding share of the audience.
comScore’s monthly figures indicated that the average online video viewer watched 582 minutes of video, or about 9.7 hours worth. The average length of an online video last month was 3.7 minutes.
According to latest figures from comScore, Google, which owns YouTube, attracted 121.4 million viewers, around (99 percent) of all videos viewed, almost 40 percent of all videos watched on the Web, each watching an average of 82 videos, far ahead of second-ranked Microsoft Corp., whose sites attracted 547 million videos viewed, about (2.2 percent) share, followed by Viacom Digital with 539 million videos (2.1 percent) and Hulu with 488 million videos viewed (1.9 percent).
Finishing off the list of top U.S. Internet properties are Fox Interactive Media recorded (1.5 percent), Yahoo! sites with (1.4 percent) and Turner with (1.2 percent). CBS Interactive, Disney Online and AOL each had less than a 1-percent share. Hulu, equipped with a high-quality viewing experience and strong advertising presence that features Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane, among others, ranked No. 4 with 488 million videos viewed. That was good for nearly 2 percent of the market in August.
Microsoft has less chance of closing the gap in online video versus Google because, apart from search, where a handful of players command the court, online video boasts a long, long tail. And what if Google had acquired Brightcove, as rumored. Google would dominate commercial Web video as well. So even if Microsoft had acquired both Viacom Digital and Hulu it still would only have 6 percent of the U.S. video-viewing market, overshadowed by Google’s 40 percent video market share.
For now, Google’s contribution comes courtesy of YouTube, which has done some wheeling and dealing of late.
And according to latest tech industry news, Warner Music Group has agreed with YouTube on a deal that will bring back music videos for Green Day, REM, Madonna and others to YouTube from which they were removed in December.