Google Sites Lead U.S. Online Video Viewing

RESTON: Online video usage reached record levels in the U.S. in the month of July, according to the new comScore Video Metrix service, with Google sites, driven primarily by YouTube, ranking as the top destinations.

The new data shows that 180 million U.S. Internet users watched online video last month, for an average of 18.5 hours per viewer. The total U.S. Internet audience engaged in a record 6.9 billion viewing sessions. Of the total U.S. Internet audience, 86 percent watched online video in July.

Google sites ranked as the top online video content property in July, with 158.1 million unique viewers. VEVO ranked a distant second with 62.1 million. Facebook rose to number three, with 51.4 million viewers, followed by Microsoft sites with 49.5 million and Viacom Digital with 47.3 million. Total viewing sessions were also at a high in July, at some 6.9 billion. Google sites surpassed the 3 billion mark, accounting for more than 40 percent of all viewing sessions online. The average viewer watched 18.5 hours of online video during the month, with Google site notching up 5.9 hours on average and Hulu with 3.4 hours on average.