50 Percent U.S. Consumers Will Watch Online Video In 2008

Next year represents a mass-market benchmark, as more than 50% of the US population – 155.2 million people – will watch video online, according to Video Advertising Online: Spending and Audience, a report from eMarketer. How this audience reacts to online video advertising will ultimately shape the format well into the future.

US online video viewers as a percent of broadband users, total internet users and total population

2007 will show the greatest year-over-year growth for online video ad spending, rising 89% to $775 million, according to eMarketer. But more significantly, the growth rate will remain near or above 40% through 2011, when video ad spending will reach $4.3 billion.

US online video advertising spending

And, says eMarketer, by 2011, the amount of time spent watching video online will be more significant than the ad dollars chasing those eyeballs.

Only time will tell if these predictions ring true.