UGV is a circular media environment. Users are in multiple points inside the experience. They can start the conversation and they can react to it. This social currency becomes relevant when interactivity associated with UGV is more understood and benchmarked. This report analyzes UGV interaction rates, focusing on user comments, videos and views, compiled from hundreds of thousands of videos.

Top line report findings and analysis:

-Analysis of hundreds of thousands of videos and comments associated with those pieces of content from YouTube, MySpace, LiveDigital, Metacafe, Yahoo Video, AOLUncut and others reveals an average of 12.6 comments for each video (see data and graphics below) through 2007
-Across the group of UGV sites analyzed in this research report, a total of 1.19 million videos (hosted inside content categories typically accessible to users) published in 2007 (excluding 2006 and older videos)
-There were a total of 26.5 million comments published by users associated with those videos, or an average of 22.2 on a per video basis
-YouTube captured the largest share of those comments, with 79.9%, followed by MySpace TV with 13%
-MySpace TV showed the highest comments average per video, at 36.9, largely due to the popularity of semi-professional and professional content on the site
-Metacafe has traditionally generated a high number of comments per published video, due the adult or mature nature of some of its content categories and predominately male audience

User Generated Video (UGV) sites generated abundant metadata associated with views in 2007 that taken in totality, supply a set of comparable performance yardsticks across sites and surrounding specific content categories hosted inside these environments.

User Generated Video 2005 - 2008: Metadata Metrics, published by AccuStream iMedia Research, analyzes UGV interaction rates, focusing on user comments, videos and views, compiled from hundreds of thousands of videos.

Total user generated videos published in 2007 topped an estimated 1.2 million, along with 26.5 million associated comments.

Average comments per video clocked in at 12.6 incorporating 2007 and previously published videos. The full year comparable in 2006 was 19.5.

The report evaluates each content category on AOLUncut, Broadcaster.com, Crackle.com, LiveDigital, Metacafe, MySpace TV, VEOH.com, Vsocial.com, Yahoo Video and YouTube, among others.

"User comments are an indication of content engagement behavior and underlying motivation," remarked Paul A. Palumbo, research director with AccuStream.

"Comments reflect interactive activity meaningful to brands, publishers and advertisers, particularly as a community's conversation about video becomes intrinsic to CPM value. Video is visual, and visceral."

For example, MySpace TV's library, boosted by its emphasis on semi-professional and professional content, averaged 36.9 comments per video throughout 2007. Metacafe's library generated an average of 32.3, followed by YouTube at 25.4.

The report examines views, number of videos and comments that yield comparable metrics across video categories, going back as far as 2003.

UGV utilize older videos to increase cumulative views in current publishing periods while newer videos are groomed and rotated into featured areas.

The analysis suggests content of a promotional or purely advertising nature can similarly be customized to solicit specific types of user engagement.

Media planners and site brand managers can use metadata performance knowledge to better shape campaign uniqueness and reach desired goals as they incorporate exposure and purchase triggers into message design.

"This is a circular media environment. Users are in multiple points inside the experience. They can start the conversation and they can react to it. This social currency becomes relevant when valuing interactivity attached to UGV content"