The findings of a new Knowledge Networks report reveals that the ways in which people learn about and ultimately decide to watch video on TV or the Internet are remarkably similar – with verbal word of mouth (in-person conversations or phone calls) scoring well above social media as a regularly used source, and TV ads and search engines also playing major roles.
The report, How People Use® Video Navigation, shows that verbal word of mouth was the top source for learning about and deciding to watch online videos; search engines were the second most-cited way of learning about online video.
The report also explored the similarities between viewers of TV and of streaming video in the levels of “purposeful” viewing – that people go to watch with specific programs or content in mind. Among TV viewers, almost half (44%) say they usually turn the TV on with the intent to watch a specific program; among people who use streaming video to watch full-length TV episodes or movies, the proportion of purposeful viewing is even higher – about 56%. In contrast, viewers of non-professional or amateur content using streaming video report much lower levels of purposeful viewing – just 22%.
