Online video is on the rise, but when you look at the numbers in comparison to television, television is still clearly in the lead in terms of viewership. In a panel at the Beet.TV executive retreat last month, Joy Marcus of DFJ Gotham Ventures spoke with David Payne, Chief Digital Officer at Gannett Company, Inc. about usage trends and the opportunity for growth in online video.
Payne points out that one of the reasons that television continues to boom over online video is that television’s place has been primarily in the home while online video’s place has been primarily at work. “We need to get into the home” before we can see massive growth.
The tablet has introduced the perfect tool for bringing online video into the home, but Payne explains that online video viewing behavior is different from television viewing behavior. Television viewing is a leanback experience, which often takes place over hours of channel surfing, while online viewing is more “appointment based,” with viewers logging on to watch a specific show or two. Payne says that when as this behavior set changes we’re likely to see further growth in the online arena.
