Online video usage in the United States - statistics & facts
Watching videos via the internet is one of the most popular activities for online audiences worldwide, and users in the United States make no exception. In March 2024, Google Sites was the leading video property in the United States, with its top platform YouTube helping to secure over 258 million unique video viewers during the measured period. Despite an increasingly high number of users complaining that subscription video-on-demand services (SVOD) are getting too expensive, online video has become deeply integrated into the daily lives of audiences.
YouTube hosts professionally produced shows and films to rent or buy, while still providing a hub for user-generated content in several formats. According to 40 percent of YouTube TV users in the U.S., watching content whenever they wanted was the main reason to subscribe to streaming services, while 30 percent of American consumers reported subscribing to online video services for the same reason. The ability to watch videos on the move was also important for YouTube TV users, a sign that social and mobile features of the platform are among the most-appreciated characteristics among its users.
Live sports, which have historically maintained a stronghold on conventional television, started finding their space on web live streaming platforms. In May 2023, an online survey found that one-third of respondents had watched livestreams of sports games or replays on Facebook, while approximately one-fourth reported they watched this type of content on YouTube. While live streaming still must find its audience beyond video gaming and social media content, the increased reliance on online video over traditional TV could provide an opening for live-streaming media to reach the U.S. audience at large.
From live TV to live streaming
According to a 2023 survey of U.S. users, around six in 10 respondents reported using smart TV devices, which allow them to consume content hosted by SVOD services such as Netflix, as well as online video platforms with on-demand services. In terms of consumption, this means that areas normally reserved for traditional television viewing now overlap with online video consumption, while video platforms that were born for video sharing can expand their services.YouTube hosts professionally produced shows and films to rent or buy, while still providing a hub for user-generated content in several formats. According to 40 percent of YouTube TV users in the U.S., watching content whenever they wanted was the main reason to subscribe to streaming services, while 30 percent of American consumers reported subscribing to online video services for the same reason. The ability to watch videos on the move was also important for YouTube TV users, a sign that social and mobile features of the platform are among the most-appreciated characteristics among its users.
Live streaming: upcoming online video frontier?
While live-streaming was not among the most consumed video content types for users in the United States as of the end of 2023, this format might be growing increasingly popular as live television gets replaced by the internet. In 2022, the average daily time spent watching traditional TV in the United States was surpassed by the daily consumption of digital video, and according to market estimates, this trend has lasted in 2023, with online video consumption reaching over three and a half hours.Live sports, which have historically maintained a stronghold on conventional television, started finding their space on web live streaming platforms. In May 2023, an online survey found that one-third of respondents had watched livestreams of sports games or replays on Facebook, while approximately one-fourth reported they watched this type of content on YouTube. While live streaming still must find its audience beyond video gaming and social media content, the increased reliance on online video over traditional TV could provide an opening for live-streaming media to reach the U.S. audience at large.
