Series and season TV premiers in September, as well as political news and the unfolding of the nation’s economic crisis, spurred significant growth over August in the number of online viewers of content from all four TV networks, according to Nielsen Online.
Figures for September released Nov. 6 show NBC.com enjoyed month-over-month growth in online video viewers of 312 percent, according to Nielsen Online. FOX Broadcasting and ABC.com followed NBC with 165 percent and 105 percent, respectively.
The Web sites of the television networks are becoming important destinations for TV viewers who miss content when it originally airs, said Jon Gibs, Nielsen Online VP media analytics. For example, Tina Fey’s impersonation of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin on “Saturday Night Live” gave NBC a way to capitalize on the trend, so viewers who missed the original skit could catch up, he said.
While NBC.com showed the biggest month-over-month growth in visitors, FOX Broadcasting by far recorded the greatest number of minutes spent per viewer at 114.3 for the month, more than twice CBS Television, which ranked second.
| Online Video Metrics for Television Network Web Properties, September 2008 | ||
| Unique Viewers | Unique Viewer Percent Change | |
| Name | (000) | from August |
| NBC.com | 5,557 | 312 |
| ABC.COM | 5,246 | 105 |
| CBS Television | 3,296 | 38 |
| FOX Broadcasting | 1,371 | 165 |
| Source: Nielsen Online, VideoCensus (Includes progressive downloads and excludes video advertising.) | ||
| Time Spent per Viewer at Network Web Properties, September 2008 | ||
| Name | Minutes Spent per Viewer | |
| FOX Broadcasting | 114.3 | |
| CBS Television | 48.4 | |
| ABC.COM | 45.5 | |
| NBC.com | 34.6 | |
| Source: Nielsen Online, VideoCensus (Includes progressive downloads and excludes video advertising.) | ||
For more information, visit www.nielsenmedia.com.
