Online video hits the mainstream

Video sharing site YouTube registered 16 million visitors in July

Visitors to online video sites increased dramatically last month, new statistics have revealed.

Figures released by web monitoring firm ComScore suggest that visitors to sites offering video content in July far exceeded those for the previous month. 

Video sharing site YouTube entered the ComScore Media Metrix Top 50 for the first time, achieving position 40 with 16 million visitors representing a 20 per cent increase on June. 

Traffic to MySpace Videos doubled to 20 million visitors, and Yahoo Video saw a 28 per cent increase to 21.1 million. 

"Consumers clearly view video as one of the most accessible, interesting and entertaining sources of content on the web," said Jack Flanagan, executive vice president at ComScore Media Metrix.

"The trends we are witnessing indicate that online video is emerging from its infancy and entering the mainstream.

"Many publishers and advertisers are responding to this trend, which means that advertising dollars will continue to migrate online where consumers can be targeted with efficiency."

An old age pensioner recently became the latest star of teen-oriented video sharing site YouTube. Over 850,000 people have viewed his first video since it was uploaded and more than 14,000 have subscribed to his video feed, making him one of the most popular contributors to the site.