Video.ME Video Playing & Sharing

There's no doubt about it, online video is hot. From professionally produced TV shows to do-it-yourself family video, Internet users the world over just can't seem to get enough.

The numbers are mind-boggling. According to market researcher ComScore®, U.S. Internet users watched 33.2 billion videos in December 2009 alone -- more than one billion videos every single day! That same report estimated the number of U.S. video watchers at 86 percent of all Americans on the Internet.

Online video sharing is growing worldwide says ABI Research, a market intelligence company. By 2013, the firm predicts that over half of the 1.8 billion Internet consumers worldwide will be watching video online. Online viewing is particularly popular in Australia, Germany, India, Japan, the U.K. and the U.S.

And it's not just the number of viewers, but the number of minutes per viewing session that increases with every passing day. The Oliver Wyman® 2010 Communications, Media, and Technology State of the Industry Report found a year-over-year increase in online video viewing minutes of 50% in the U.S. and 30% in Spain.

What's more, online viewing seems to be a social activity. According to a study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project®, well over half of all online viewers watch with other people. When there's no one close to share it with, viewers send links of their favorite funny video clips to friends and family.

This "viral" aspect of Internet viewing has caught the attention of business. Ever-eager for new and more effective ways of getting the word out about their products and services, corporate marketing departments are all over video sharing. Even casual viewers who enjoy a company's TV ad or how-to podcast online are likely pass the link to friends and colleagues, which means exponentially more exposure for even the humblest of start-ups.

But there's another reason people love online video: because anyone can do it. Thanks in large part to YouTube®, the average person can film, produce and distribute multimedia content to a global audience. Video sharing is a democratic activity, open to all.

So, not only has the way we watch media changed dramatically, but what we watch has changed as well.

"As users have realized the unlocked potential of online video," states the Pew study, "a new channel of interactive mass communication has started to emerge in daily life."

Market research firm eMarketer® predicts that video advertising spending will jump by more than 42% in 2010, making it the major growth area for corporate ad budgets. By 2014, the firm predicts, the lion's share of online ad increases will go to producing video clips for use as Web advertisements.