Live Streaming Video Use Grown To 1.4 Billion Minutes

According to web analytics company, comScore, online video is decisively entering the mainstream, as the amount of time Americans spent watching video on the major live video resources (Ustream, Livestream, LiveVideo, Justin.tv, etc.) has increased by 648% (grown to 1.4 billion minutes). Sure, online video consumption has generally increased over the same time period, comScore, however, says that even though live stream viewership is still only a fraction of the total time spent watching online video, it is actually indicative of a shift in how viewers approach live video online.

Use of hosted video content saw but a modest rise compared to live streaming sites. For example, YouTube increased by 68 %, while Hulu - which hosts many popular TV shows on major networks - view time rose by around 75 %.

While live streaming video sites don’t have nearly as much of an audience as static video sites, according to comScore, the average live video streamed online is viewed for 7 % longer than static on-demand video. This is great news for advertisers looking to target demographics via video advertising.

In July, Ustream reached a milestone of more than 3.2 million unique viewers, with Justin.tv getting 2.6 million and Livestream only 2.4 million.

Well, the growth in live streaming viewership is no big surprise. More and more viewers are searching on their computers and mobile devices for live video content as players like Justin.tv and Ustream provide a platform for these events. Justin.tv has just released an Android application that allows you to broadcast video live, and an iPhone application is under development. Ustream has made a total of $90 million in venture funding, and Ustream’s CEO Jon Ham is confident that his company can remain a leader in the field when YouTube eventually launches its own live stream platform.