ComScore Inc. just released its first comScore YouTube Partner Report, putting actual numbers behind some assumptions and expectations. There are few surprises for those immersed in digital media, but the data may be a wake-up call to traditionalist television executives.
Take Machinima for example. Its 17.7 million viewers in August exceeds the average number who watch NBC’s Sunday Night Football. The mostly under 35, male-skewing Machinima audience sticks around, too, for a monthly average of 70 minutes per viewer. And that doesn’t count the additional millions who watch its videos on Machinima.com. Its most popular shows include Warner Bros.’ Mortal Kombat: Legacy and the Machinima original zombie apocalypse series Bite Me.
Only music videos reached more people on YouTube. Vevo attracted the most viewers (60.6 million), and Warner Music Group (31 million), with average times of 60 minutes and 29.1 minutes respectively. YouTube Partner Reporting is based on online video content viewing and does not include claimed user-generated content, comScore said.
As reported in the Wall Street Journal, YouTube is looking replicate this success with many additional channels focused on different topics. Viewer numbers like these will help Google obliterate the cliché that YouTube isn’t much more than skateboarding dogs.
Original content is already doing reasonably well on YouTube. Besides Machinima, there’s Revision3 (6.6 million) and Andy Samberg’s comedic musical stylings The Lonely Island (3.3 million).
YouTube channels from better known content creators include the Associated Press (5.7 million), Discovery Communications (2.8 million) and the BBC (2.2 million).
Related link:
ComScore YouTube Partner Reporting – http://www.videometrix2.com/YouTube.html
