According to the research group Nielsen, the growth in online video over the past six months has been significant with the time spent viewing online video by the overall internet audience growing by 16% in just six months. While you might think that the growth rate in online video viewing among young people would eclipse that of the older demographic, the opposite is true.

Yes, people in the 18-24 year old demographic segment watch the most online video, followed by the 25-34 year old segment, but older demographics are starting to shift their online habits to include more and more online video!

The six month growth in online video viewing among the 35-49 year old age range was 29% — nearly twice as high as the growth rate among the 18-24 and 25-34 age ranges combined.

Furthermore, the growth rate in online video viewing in the 65+ age range was an astounding 21% — the second highest growth rate of all segments. It seems online video is not just for teenagers anymore!

It is also very likely that broadcast could even become a secondary medium in the not too distant future

“I think we have underestimated the speed of its arrival (online video). The opportunities for video over the Internet have been more disruptive than we imagined. The previous pre-eminent broadcast networks are being challenged. The conventional boundaries of telecommunications and broadcast will collapse. Viewers will benefit from more choice. The bigger picture is millions of homes being connected to broadband networks and be able to stream programs. Broadcast could become a secondary mass medium. Broadband video is a classic example of a disruptive technology.”