An online survey of over 1,000 U.S. households with a broadband connection found that while the viewing of online video content is growing, customer habits tend to make Internet viewing of video an enhancement rather than cannibalism of traditional TV viewing.

The results of the 2007 Broadband Content and Services study by market research and consulting company Horowitz Associates were posted by AdWeek on Wednesday.

Key findings were as follows:

• Six out of 10 Internet users watch or download video content at least once a week. Eighty-six percent do so on at least a monthly basis. The numbers are up 45 and 71 percent respectively from the 2006 survey.
• The most watched content, in descending order, was news, user-generated content, movie previews, music videos and segments of TV shows.
• ABC and NBC were most associated with online TV content. ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy was the TV show most often mentioned.

The survey also found that TV show viewing online doubled from last year. Sixteen percent of those surveyed watch TV online weekly. However, traditional watching of TV is still the prefered method. Those who watch TV online cited several reasons.

• Seventy-two percent said its was because the missed the show on broadcast.
• Twenty percent said it was an accidental find or someone told them about the episode.
• Eighteen percent said they did it to watch the episode again.

"There is a dynamic relationship between broadband access, broadband content and broadband consumption. More and better broadband content, particularly entertainment content in video form, is bringing more consumers to the platform, either on their computers or on their handheld devices," said Howard Horowitz, president of Horowitz Associates. "This, in turn, creates an even greater demand for, and expectations regarding, broadband video. Importantly, the data suggest that broadband video is not cannibalistic to linear video, but rather an enhancement to consumers’ traditional TV experience."

The poll was conducted in September and October 2007 and polled 1,008 U.S. households with Internet access and members at least 18 years old.