Filipinos are world's top Internet video viewers

Filipino Internet users are world's top viewers of videos streamed over the Internet, a global social media tracker said Friday. Global media agency Universal McCann said in its recent survey that the Philippines has the highest percentage of Internet users that watch videos online, even though the country has relatively low number of households connected to the web. Out of more than 4 million Filipinos who are active Internet users, 98.1 percent watch videos on the Internet — higher than the global average of 82.8 percent. China and Spain follow with 89.1 percent and 84.1 percent, respectively. Smart Communications, the Philippines' largest telecommunications network, shared the results of the survey. "Filipinos use the Internet not only for social networking but also for watching videos in websites like YouTube. This highlights the importance of having a superior, high-speed broadband Internet network in order for subscribers to fully enjoy real-time video streaming such as the previous fights of boxing champion Manny Pacquiao," said Smart Communications spokesman Ramon Isberto. "With high broadband speeds, subscribers can experience many things on the Internet — play online games, and download movies and music even while surfing," he added. After Korea on the top, Filipinos also enjoy uploading videos. About 67.51 percent Filipino active Internet users have uploaded or shared videos — almost double the global average of 35 percent. About 70.98 percent Koreans have done so. Majority of our Internet users likewise maintain social networking accounts. The survey says 3.9 million Filipinos manage a social network profile. The Philippines has a 21.5-percent Internet penetration. This means that there are still a lot of rooms for growth in the Philippines. The survey cited Norway as having the highest penetration with 86 percent of households being connected to the web. —JE/OMG, GMANews.TV