Online videos have taken the world by storm in the past few years. Whether it’s just a simple explainer video or a daily vlog, the extent of online video sharing platforms has seen rapid growth. This is scarily true when we look at some of the stats from just the past fifteen years.
While it’s safe to say that this is not actually an evolutionary timeline (since the term came into existence only a decade back), there’s still a lot at stake when we want to talk about the evolution of the online video.
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Talking about Stats
Stats from numerous sources point out that close to one-third (almost 70%) of internet users prefer to watch videos online rather than just download them. More than half of this netizen population are avid streamers of just movies and TV shows.
So, you can see how astoundingly crazy the rise of online videos has been. Just back in 2007, the overall market share of online video streaming services in the whole industry was close to 7% (yes, that is a single digit!) as opposed to the 93% dominance of movie theaters and record labels.
We can trace back this mini evolutionary timeline all the way back from 2005. Let’s take a wild ride down memory lane, shall we?
The birth of YouTube
You know about the golden times when Mariah Carey used to rule the billboard top charts and Star Wars was just the shizz? Well, it was also around this time in February 2005 when the online video star was born. Yes, we’re talking about YouTube, the OG of online videos!
Other than this, BrotherSoft launched the video aggregator FireAnt.tv, the pioneer RSS-based online media player globally.
Rocketboom was launched (yeah, we don’t remember it as well). And yeah, iPods introduce portable video too.
The Major Time Skip
The tech giant Google makes a bold move acquiring YouTube for more than one and half a million dollars! While it was criticized by many as an immature move, the fruit of that decision has turned ripe today for sure.
Some minor indie shows like Podtec and Revision3 rolled out to make some money off the seemingly growing online video streamers around 2005.
The Silent Hibernation
This phase around 2007 to 2018 is termed as the calm before the storm in the hyper-active and ever-changing online video world.
On the flip side, the dull and boring world of politics even tried embracing online video. John Edwards announced his presidential campaign on YouTube before doing it on national television!
The Hit Sensations Rise
After a brooding stage, the world of online video was up and at it again. YouTube celebrities like Smosh, NigaHiga, and Sxephil got their prominence and fame around this time.
For the first time, Streamy Awards were introduced (just like the Emmy Awards) for online video content. The average video streaming population rose to about half a billion.
Only the Reel Life is Real!
From then onwards, online video streaming had not had to look back ever since. The advent of Facebook auto-play videos and Instagram Reels have only pushed it miles forward. Snapchat Stories, TikTok, and Vine are entirely new concepts that revolutionized the evolution of the online video. But that’s a story for another time!
