With Canadians increasingly viewing free online video, the day when web-surfing surpasses primetime TV viewership is nearer than you think, according to first-ever study on Canadian online viewing habits by pollster Ipsos Reid and M Consulting.

“There is the potential that a critical mass of Canadians could be watching more online video than TV much sooner than experts predicted,” M Consulting president Bill Mohri, who commissioned the study, said Thursday in a statement accompanying poll results.

The survey found almost 100% of Canadians between the ages of 18 to 24 view video content online, with just over three-quarters watching at least a couple times a week.

Credit comedy for a recent surge in online viewing among Canadians.

Around 65% of 2,350 Canadians polled between September 8 and 16 said they watch comical videos on the Internet more often than any other programming genre, including news.

The online consumption findings, to be fully unveiled at the MergeMedia: Online Branded Entertainment Conference on October 22 in Toronto, also found that, while younger Canadians do the most web-viewing, 68% of Canadians over 55 years of age said they watch some video content online.

Mohri added the poll findings have implications for brand marketers and content producers.

“It’s clear that brands have an impact with more frequent viewers of online video. It’s a more engaging, interactive medium,” he said.

“Brand marketers and content producers need to pay attention to this growth area because it’s much less expensive than TV advertising and has real potential to reach consumers more effectively than TV,” Mohri added.