- Kenneth Hein

People are still watching programs, just not necessarily on their TV screens. The amount of video consumed on TV has dropped 5% among people who actively stream and download content, per a study conducted by Ipsos MediaCT, New York.

Meanwhile, movie theater consumption fell 2% while personal computer viewing grew 8%. One-in-five hours watching video is now done online.

Still, TV is the place the 1,102 respondents surveyed online in February went to watch video 70% of the time. However, Adam Wright, director of Ipsos MediaCT, said marketers need to be mindful of this subtle shift.

"Folks that are downloading and streaming are clearly adopting the activity, they are not just experimenting with it," said Wright. "If you don't already have a plan to reach consumers online via video you are missing a big tool in your kit when you put together your media plan."

More than half (52%) of Americans over the age of 12 have streamed or downloaded a digital file. Consumers 18-24 spend the largest percentage of their time (27%) watching video on their computers.

A follow-up survey next month will indicate that consumers are receptive to watching ads in exchange for quality content. "If you offer it for free and its professionally produced people are OK with ads," said Wright. "It begs further exploration about how do we crack the code from an ad perspective."