Viewers expect online video to start quickly and stream without interruptions, and if it doesn't, they are likely to leave the site, according to a JupiterResearch study for Akamai Technologies. The study finds that, after a poor viewing experience on a Web site, more than half of users will seek content from a competing Web site. And a quarter of survey respondents said poor video quality diminished their overall perception of the brand. The same number said they would be less likely to visit the poorly performing site in the future.

"For online publishers and marketers, online video is rapidly becoming a serious component of their business strategies. In order for these initiatives to pay off, the viewing experience must be flawless," says Brad Rinklin, vice president of marketing, Akamai Technologies. "Online publishers and brands are turning to video as a way to differentiate themselves, engage more emotionally with consumers or create premium advertising products to drive more revenue."

The survey group was randomly selected from the Ipsos US online consumer panel. More than 2,000 people responded to JupiterResearch's questionnaire during February 2007.

A study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project finds that more than three-quarters of America's adult broadband users watch or download video. And more than half of those who watch also send links to other people. The study, simply titled, "Online Video," was conducted in February and March 2007.

"The growing adoption of broadband combined with a dramatic push by content providers to promote online video has helped to pave the way for mainstream audiences to embrace online video viewing," says Mary Madden, a senior research specialist at Pew and the lead author of the report. "Fifty-seven percent of online adults have used the Internet to watch or download video, and 19 percent do so on a typical day."

News is the most popular genre of online video overall and in every age group except 18 to 29 year olds, for whom comedy is the most popular, followed by news. In fact, young adults answered that, on a typical day, they are just as likely to watch news as comedy.

U.S.News & World Report and EMI Network are counting down to the year’s most exciting publishing event for anyone interested in higher education.

The magazine’s annual “America's Best Colleges” issue – this year’s August 27th edition – is one of the most anticipated and widely read issues of the year. Its sister publication, the America's Best Colleges Guidebook, hits major newsstands on August 21st and will be available until August 2008.