Published: May 15, 2008 10:11 am            

Internet video goes mainstream

It happens all the time these days. Friends gather around, sit down and watch ... video clips on the Internet.

Some may not have noticed it yet, but Internet video — sometimes referred to as viral video — hasn’t just hit the mainstream. It’s become another mainstream source of entertainment.

Alexa.com, an information company which tracks Internet traffic, lists Youtube.com as the third most-visited site on the Internet behind only Yahoo! and Google.

The high ranking, to say nothing of other popular video sites, means that a lot of people spend a lot of time watching video on the Internet.

A recent release from comScore, an Internet information provider, brings some numbers to those thoughts. According to the report, U.S. Internet users viewed 11.5 billion online videos in March, a 64 percent gain from March 2007.

Think about it. You’re probably still getting a few e-mails from friends, but those e-mails likely include a lot more video links than before.

A basic primer

If YouTube and Internet video have become so popular, there has to be a reason, right? So, what’s the fuss?

First off, many of the videos people watch online are clips of things you already know and love. Want to find clips of your favorite TV show or highlights from the game? Chances are it’s somewhere online.

But some of the most popular online videos are original creations. The most viewed video of all time on YouTube is “Evolution of Dance,” the creation of Judson Laipply. In the video, which has been viewed more than 84 million times, Laipply dances his way through the history of pop music. The twist, the macarena and the robot are all featured, in addition to many other dances.

Also extremely popular in online video are laughing babies, sneezing pandas and SpongeBob SquarePants dancing to Soulja Boy’s “Crank That.” Not everything is a work of art.

But then, maybe that’s part of the appeal. Internet video appeals to the short attention span. Watch one thing one minute, something completely different the next.

With all these Internet personalities and phenomena, where does one begin? For a starting point, one might want to view “Internet People,” an animated tribute to some of the most popular folks on the Internet. The video can be found on YouTube, among other sites.

In the video, animated versions of the quasi-celebrities are seen while listed in a song. While those new to Internet video may try to take notes, people already keen on the Internet video scene could pick out which references they recognize.

The Internet has also become a welcome home for music videos, which have been pushed aside by MTV and VH1. Currently, 13 of the 20 most-viewed videos in YouTube history are music videos.

Mixing with the mainstream

Whatever the true artistry or substance of Internet video may be, there’s no arguing that somebody’s paying attention.

A YouTube clip titled “Battle at Kruger,” featuring a battle between lions, buffalo and crocodiles in South Africa’s Kruger National Park, was captured on a safari. The clip has more than 31 million views and became so popular that the National Geographic Channel turned it into an hour-long documentary, “Caught on Safari: Battle at Kruger,” which debuted Sunday.

“We look at YouTube too, just like everybody else,” Michael Cascio recently told The New York Times. Cascio is the senior vice president for special programming at the National Geographic Channel.

Also looking at YouTube is CBS, which gave a development deal to three creators of the online sitcom “We Need Girlfriends.” This follows the approved season of “Sanctuary” on the Sci Fi Channel, another scripted drama originally developed online.

Perhaps the new shows will fare better than “Quarterlife,” a Web series that only lasted for one week on NBC before being canceled.

Maybe “Quarterlife” proves the link between Internet and TV audiences isn’t strong enough yet. But with online video view counts increasing monthly, it’s only a matter of time until the new media of entertainment breaks through with the old media in a big way.



STARTING CLICKS

* YOUTUBE: When it comes to Internet video, the granddaddy of them all. youtube.com

* FUNNY OR DIE: Founded by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay’s production company, Funny or Die is a comedy video site where only the most popular videos survive. funnyordie.com

* HULU: An online video on demand service that features full episodes of shows from NBC, Fox and other channels. hulu.com.

* INTERNET PEOPLE: The Web site Rumors Daily lists all of the references in the “Internet People” animated video. rumorsdaily.com/2007/09/07/internet-people-who-are-they/

        

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