Online Video's Hyper-growth Phase Appears Over

ComScore Video Metrix reported Friday that online video viewership declined in January compared to the previous month, a finding that suggests online video's hyper-growth phase has ended.

ComScore Video Metrix reported 9.8 billion videos viewed online in January, compared to 10.1 billion in December 2007.

YouTube accounted for one-third of views. Fox Interactive Media was a distant second, with a 6% share.

No doubt there will be great interest in February figures as analysts try to determine whether January represented but a temporary pause in growth. Regardless, a decline after the rapid run-up of the past two or three years would appear to indicate that the big growth numbers are behind us.