Report: 21% of Web Users Streaming Full TV Episodes

via DMW Media

Menlo Park, Calif. - One in five U.S. Internet users (21%) ages 13 to 54 now watches full-length streaming episodes of TV shows online, up from 10% in 2006, and 65% of these viewers say they expect to be able to watch their favorite shows “on the device of my choice,” according to the findings of a report from market research firm Knowledge Networks.

The report found that those who stream TV episodes still prefer networks’ own websites, but that use of third-party sites like Hulu.com has doubled in the past year, to 28%.

Of “streamers,” 87% say they watch episodes online to “watch a current episode that I missed,” compared with 40% watching “older” episodes and 18% “trying out a new program.”

“Among streamers, there is no shortage of demand for TV network content, and Internet availability of full episodes increases their appetite for both online and traditional viewing of programs,” said David Tice, vice president of client service at Knowledge Networks.

“This kind of access and control has become something streamers demand, and networks and sponsors alike reap benefits from the added engagement that full-program streaming creates.”