Rochester (NY) - Compulsive YouTube watching is forcing many Internet users to skip other chores, but Google would be making a mistake if wanted to cash in by including in-video ads. According to a survey done by Harris Interactive, the vast majority of YouTube viewers would visit less if video ads were included. 73% of frequent viewers would visit less, while 31% of viewers would visit "a lot less".
The survey of 2309 U.S. adults was conducted from December 12th to the 18th and found several interesting habits. YouTube is the most popular video site and 42% of those surveyed have watched a YouTube video. Just behind YouTube were the traditional television network websites with 41% viewership.
Out of the YouTube viewers, 2% said they were very frequent users, clocking in with more than 2 hours of viewing every week. 7% watched between one and two hours a week, while 24% said they watched "frequently", but less than an hour a week.
As we have found in the office, YouTube watching can be addictive and it's always fun trying to find the latest weird and wacky videos. For some viewers this addiction can negatively impact their work and other activities.
66% of frequent users said YouTube watching made them spend less time on other activities. Of those, 36% said it cut into their website surfing, while 32% said YouTube made them watch less television. However a little more than one-third or 34% of frequent viewers said they were able to control themselves and didn't think they were spending less time doing anything because of YouTube watching.
