We online-video watchers are quite different from abnormal people (those who don’t watch). A research group queried nearly 2,000 people (representing the US census data) in April about online-video habits and preferences. The full report, created by Frank N. Magid Associates and sponsored by Metacafe, is called “Opportunities in Online Video,” and available as a PDF here (via ContenttoCommerce).

The basic information is consistent with other research in the field, but I found the following 4 nuggets the most interesting.

1. Nearly half of us (45%) said online-video ads are as acceptable as television ads. I wonder if that includes those ubiquitous Army prerolls on Metacafe?
2. I’m an outlier as a male between the age of 35-55 — that’s the only male age range that rated television as a favorite leasure activity above the Internet. Guys age 18-34 selected web nearly 2-3 times more often than television. So if you’re going to ground them, take away the laptop and stick them on television — and lock it on CBS if you’re feeling particularly cruel.
3. Thirty percent of those 55-65 year olds watch online video weekly, which dispels a lot of the “it’s the younger peeps only” myths. While 70 percent of males ages 18-24 watch online video weekly, the peak range for females is 12-17 (56% watch weekly).
4. Those of us who view video online at least weekly (that’s about 43% of us) are significantly different from non online-video watchers (around 30%). We’re twice as a likely to own an iPhone, purchase virtual goods, and carry a music player. And we’re significantly more likely to be an online gamer and rent DVDs (see chart below).