A study of the online video audience by comScore and Media Contacts, the global interactive media network of Havas Media, released last week, analyzed the frequency and type of video content that is viewed by different kinds of users. It started by labeling users heavy, moderate and light video viewers who watch from 841 minutes all the way down to six minutes per month. The heavy users frequent niche video-sharing sites, while moderate users view specific video content on broadcast TV sites rather than viewing general video-sharing sites.
YouTube is the overall leader among all groups, used by 54 percent of viewers.
The study contrasted online video viewing with TV viewing and found that light video viewers are heavier TV watchers, with 46 percent indicating they watch more than 13 hours of TV per week compared with 39 percent of moderate viewers and 30 percent of heavy viewers.
The study also segemented video viewers into four distinct groups based on the way they consume videos: Content Explorers, On Demanders, Sight & Sounders and Television Devotees. The groups were created “to discover how best to reach and message online different kinds of video viewers,” said Jarvis Mak, VP of research and insight at Media Contacts.
Mak said the research will benefit publishers by “giving them a common way of thinking about the same audience so they can develop their offerings to appeal to different segments.” As for advertisers, “it gives them a tangible way to think about their online video efforts and whether or not they are reaching their audience in the right ways.
“We will reach a point where networks/video publishers are offering their video content in many environments–their own Web sites, at an aggregator like Maven or Veoh, or even a portal. All those environments may show the same content but attach different forms of advertising. Those different forms of advertising will appeal to different segments. So how do advertisers know which sites are best? They need to understand their audience and their preferences.”
First-Time Feature Directors Make Major Splash At AFI Fest, Generate Oscar Buzz
Two first-time feature directors who are generating Oscar buzz this awards season were front and center this past weekend at AFI Fest in Hollywood. Rachel Morrison, who made history as the first woman nominated for a Best Cinematography Oscar---on the strength of Mudbound in 2018--brought her feature directorial debut, The Fire Inside (Amazon MGM Studios), to the festival on Sunday (10/27), and shared insights into the film during a conversation session immediately following the screening. This came a day after William Goldenberg, an Oscar-winning editor for Argo in 2013, had his initial foray into feature directing, Unstoppable (Amazon MGM Studios), showcased at the AFI proceedings. He too spoke after the screening during a panel discussion. The Fire Inside--which made its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival--tells the story of Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (portrayed by Ryan Destiny), a Black boxer from Flint, Mich., who trained to become the first woman in U.S. history to win an Olympic Gold Medal in the sport. She achieved this feat--with the help of coach Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry)--only to find that her victory at the Summer Games came with relatively little fanfare and no endorsement deals. So much for the hope that the historic accomplishment would be a ticket out of socioeconomic purgatory for Shields and her family. It seemed like yet another setback in a cycle of adversity throughout Shields’ life but she persevered, going on to win her second Gold Medal at the next Olympics and becoming a champion for gender equality and equitable pay for women in sports. Shields has served as a source of inspiration for woman athletes worldwide--as well as to the community of... Read More