WSJ has an article Cable takes on Web Video. It discusses how Cable companies, particularly Comcast, are aggressively pursuing policies related to web video.
It says:
The initiatives are part of the cable industry’s efforts to stay in front of the radical changes the Internet is making in the television landscape. The burgeoning supply of movies, TV programs and other video content on the Web has sparked a race among major media, entertainment and technology companies to develop new businesses while protecting their old ones.
But the broadband video field is already getting crowded, and startups like YouTube Inc. are coming out of nowhere to take leading positions. As a result, it’s not certain that cable companies can emerge as top players. They lack consumer brand recognition outside their service areas, and they have often been late to embrace new technology. Their success will depend in large part on their ability to strike deals with content owners like Walt Disney Co., which have their own Web sites and may not want to share.
I am unable to comment on this (I am currently advising Comcast in this area) but can only say that things are happening in video space. And this space will see lots of innovations — technical and business.
On my blog, I show that Youtube’s popularity as a TV show is actually between that of ‘American Inventor’ and ’24’. Its barely top 20 among TV shows so is not going to take over the world just yet.
Your numbers seem right. However, the comparison is not fair — YouTube is not in the established TV space, but in rapidly emerging On Line Video space.