So who’s gaining in the online video war? Not Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT), not Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO) and not MySpace parent Fox Interactive Media (NYSE: NWS). Their traffic fell by 12 percent, 12 percent and a whopping 32 respectively in the UK from January 2008 to 2009, according to comScore (NSDQ: SCOR) Video Metrix. That’s while Facebook saw 140 percent more traffic, BBC 18 percent and YouTube 17 percent more. Microsoft is still an impressive third behind GooTube and BBC, however, and new online chief Ashley Highfield’s BBC experience is sure to help refresh its video play.
comScore says the UK audience for online video grew 10 percent to 29.6 million unique viewers over the last year, with videos watched by 80.1 percent of UK net users. But YouTube views (which also contribute to Google’s own traffic) make up 79.4 percent of that, with over two billion views. Of the four billion total video views clocked up in the UK in January, only 2.5 percent were to videos from the top five broadcasters – BBC on 54.7 percent share, C4 on 23.8 percent, ITV (LSE: ITV) 13.6 percent, Sky 6.8 percent, Five 1.1 percent. Release. View chart after the jump