MetaCafe receives more than 30 million unique viewers each month. Via Business Wire, Magid Associates & MetaCafe have released an interesting survey results, they show that short form videos dominate online viewing; the survey was intended to know more about consumer behavior and preferences in online video viewing. The most popular categories of videos watched online are all short-form: comedy, music videos, videos shot and uploaded by consumers.

Mike Vorhaus of Frank N. Magid Associates.
“Online video has rapidly become not only a mainstream cultural phenomena, but also a powerful marketing vehicle for all brands that want to reach consumers who no longer watch as much TV – and even fewer Television commercials”

The national study, conducted by Frank N. Magid Associates, surveyed almost 2,000 people between the ages of 12 and 64; with age, gender and ethnicity representations. The survey results show the following data.

50% of all respondents watch online video weekly.
11% of all respondents watch online video daily.
28% of those who watch online videos report watching less TV as a result.
19% of those who watch online videos report regularly sharing a link to a video with someone else.

The top five most commonly viewed types of online video content, based on respondents reporting that they watch regularly, are:

Comedy / Jokes & Bloopers, 37%
Music Videos, 36%
Video shot and uploaded by consumers, 33%
News Stories, 31%
Movie Previews, 28%

Erick Hachenburg, CEO of Metacafe.
“Online TV or traditional networks distributing their own shows on the Internet, is really just the same long form programs, and with the same audience, supported by the same advertisements, only the delivery platform is the difference. We’re excited about this new and growing opportunity short form video entertainment presents, and we are committed to growing our leadership in this sector.”

Online video has become one of the most influential internet marketing strategies, having presence in some mayor video sharing site is a must if you want to increase your online visibility. Practically all video sharing sites offer a free account, if you don’t have a camcorder, you can use even your cell phone to record a video or simply create a Power Point presentation and upload it as a video, but … if you really want a professional video presentation for your company, products or services, you will need to pay for it, but I am sure it will worth every cent that you invest on it.

If you see any search results in search engines, you will find frequently a wide variety of video results from different online video sites.