Google Sites ranks as top video property in India: comScore

comScore, Inc., recently released its latest study on online video viewing in India based on data from its comScore Video Metrix service, which was launched in India earlier this year. The report found that 30.2 million online users in India watched online video in January 2011, representing 72 percent of the total online population. The report also found that Google Sites led the market as the top video property, driven mainly by viewership at YouTube.com. These findings and others will be presented via live webinar, The Rise of Online Video in India, on March 10.

"Online video viewing is quickly becoming a central activity for Internet users in India," said Joe Nguyen, Vice President -Southeast Asia, comScore. "The online video platform offers advertisers and marketers the opportunity to reach audiences in an engaging environment, providing the potential for significant brand interaction and awareness building. As broadband penetration in India continues to increase, we expect to see online video continue to grow and become an increasingly important channel for marketers to reach audiences in the burgeoning Indian online market," he added.

In January 2011, 30.2 million Internet users age 15 and older watched online video in India from a home or work location, with an average viewer consuming 58 videos and watching 5 hours of video content during the month. Google Sites ranked as the top online video viewing destination in India across several metrics. More than 23.5 million viewers watched a total of 785 million videos on Google Sites, with viewers averaging 1.7 viewing hours during the month. Viewership at Google Sites was mainly driven by YouTube.com which accounted for 780.7 million videos, representing 44.5 percent of all videos viewed in India in January. Facebook.com ranked second with 6.6 million viewers and 30.1 million videos viewed, followed by Metacafe in third place with 3.9 million viewers. India-based properties Network 18 and Rediff.com India Ltd. both ranked among the top 10 largest video properties reaching 1.2 million and 861,000 viewers, respectively.

comScore Video Metrix currently reports on video viewing behavior in 20 markets across the globe. An analysis of several of these markets revealed that online video viewing behaviors vary widely across countries. Compared to several countries, India displayed lower online video reach and audience engagement. In the United States, Brazil, United Kingdom and Singapore, more than 80 percent of online visitors watched video in January, while video reached 78.6 percent of Australians online and 71.8 percent of Indians online. Of the six markets, audiences in the United Kingdom averaged the most time watching online video at 18.3 hours per viewer during the month, followed by viewers in the U.S. (15.8 hours per viewer), and Singapore (10.7 hours per viewer). Viewers in Brazil and Australia exhibited the same viewer engagement at 7.7 hours per viewer during January, while viewers in India averaged 5.1 hours.

Although India currently exhibits lower online video penetration and engagement when compared to some other markets, the potential exists for this burgeoning online market to see continued growth in the online video platform as a key part of consumers' digital experience.