German online videos viewed to triple by 2015

German internet users watch around 151 million videos online each day, of which 96 percent are on free platforms. Market researcher Goldmedia expects that figure to nearly triple to almost 390 million in 2015. While there are 1,275 online TV channels in Germany, most traffic is generated by video-sharing platforms such as YouTube. However, market shares are increasing for broadcasters' catch-up TV sites and other sites with professional content, the report Web TV Monitor 2010 says. The study conducted with the Bavarian Regulatory Authority for Commercial Broadcasting is based on extensive primary data research, obtained through a survey in September of all online TV providers in Germany. About two thirds (65 percent) of all internet users currently access video files at least occasionally (ARD/ZDF Online Study 2010), and almost half of all online TV services (47%) are hosted by traditional media. Among online services by traditional media, those of print media dominate, making up 26 percent of all online TV services. TV stations' sub-brands account for 16 percent of all services, and radio stations have a five percent share, while about a third of all services (34%) are internet TV channels produced exclusively for the internet. Video-sharing platforms and user-generated-content providers like YouTube have an above-average market share, accounting for 89 percent of the 151 million videos accessed per day and 4.7 billion videos accessed per month. Far fewer videos viewed are watched on media and video centers and TV channels' sub-brands, including ARD-Mediathek, ZDF-Mediathek, RTL Now, and Maxdome. These and communication portals like t-online.de, GMX.net and WEB.DE account for about 4 percent of videos accessed. Compared with conventional TV usage, online TV usage is still low. As content grows more attractive and – most importantly – longer, online video usage will increase, the market researcher expects. Like conventional television, online TV is mainly watched in the evening. However, its prime time begins slightly before the conventional TV prime time. Online TV is primarily viewed between 18:00 and 21:00hrs.