The new decade certainly looks like it is going to be the decade of online videos.

In the past few months more and more ways have been revealed where businesses small to large are using online video in unique ways to market online as never before.

As technology proliferates, content providers are finding it difficult to reach a significant portion of an audience with just one channel because the audiences now are scattered.

It is no secret that audiences are currently spending less of their time consuming content on TV and more of their time online and viewing video with IPTV and mobile devices.

Just how serious is the online video market?

In March 2010, a new Nielsen report revealed that more people are surfing the Web and watching TV at the same time.

It is quite clear from this report that people are also consuming video and media in increasingly new and nontraditional ways.

While online video usage rose 16 percent between December 2008 and 2009, mobile devices like smartphones are still catching up here.

But those numbers are also not discouraging.

According to the report, the number of Americans watching video on their mobile gadgets also jumped -- rising 57 percent from the fourth quarter of 2008.

That is why one is hardly surprised at the major developments that have been happening in the online video front over the past couple of years.

Online Video Trends Involves Big Money

Google acquired YouTube for a reported $1.6 billion last year but the smart guys at the search engine giant are not stopping with YouTube.

They are trying to get as much expertise in online videos.

The latest in their acquisition (for an undisclosed sum) is a San Francisco based company called Episodic, which focuses on things like analytics, content management, monetization, mobile, and syndication.

And YouTube's chief rival - Hulu.com -- is also not far behind in stepping up its online videos business.

Last year, it reported that revenue surpassed $100 million in 2009.

It comes as surprise to no one that online videos have also attracted the attention of News Corp., NBC Universal, and Disney (joint owners of Hulu.com).

The suits in these media behemoths see dollar signs when it comes to online video and are currently moving in with full steam to grab a piece of the online video dollar pie.

And there is huge money involved for those who are paying attention.

In 2004 the online video industry generated over $956 million dollars. In 2010, forecasters are already estimating a jump to $12 billion dollars annually.

So while the television set is still consumers' preferred way of watching full-length content, online videos are catching up very quickly.