Jeremy Allaire of Brightcove, an Internet TV service, to Insider on video length:
Not only are Web audiences interested almost entirely in short-form video, but they want them even shorter than they are right now.
On average, Jeremy says, Web users are selecting 4-minute videos. But they're bailing out after streaming just two minutes.
; "News Sentinel newsroom VCC")
; "Howard Finberg")
; "Larry Kramer")
; "Pizza Kitchen story")
; "ONA")
; "Google at 11")
; "Rusty Coats at KSMA")
; "Ike Pigott")
; "SEC/Twittering")
; "Wes Rucker Twittering")
When I was involved in doing video for ajc.com, and tracking the length of time people watched our videos, I found that about 98 percent of the time they only watched for about 30 sec. Sports columnists, however, would sometimes be watched for up to 4 minutes. And viewers were willing to watch looong videos of the Coretta Scott King funeral.
Ninety-eight percent drop out after 30 seconds. Amazing!
I wish I had a better handle on what viewers are willing to watch -- and see to the finish. I don't have any data on how long a user stays with a video. I do know what videos are most popular on our site and which of ours are most popular on YouTube. That varies.
The basic standup piece you might see on during a TV newscast doesn't seem to work. Compelling two-minute story telling in video is a tough thing to learn for print-stained wretches, too!