U.S. Internet users watched Internet video a record times in December, according to the latest figures from comScore.

comScore speculates that some of the increase in viewing of Internet video can be attributed to stale television content as a result of the Writer’s strike.

Research Highlights:

• U.S. Internet users watched more than 10 billion videos online during the month, representing the single heaviest month for online video consumption since comScore initiated its tracking service.
• Google’s video sites saw substantial growth, accounting for nearly one out of every three videos viewed online.
• Nearly 141 million Americans viewed online video in December.
• Google’s video sites captured the largest online video audience with 79 million unique viewers, followed by Fox Interactive Media with 43.9 million and Yahoo! Sites with 38.2 million.
• Online viewers watched an average of 3.4 hours (203 minutes) of online video during the month, representing a 34-percent gain since the beginning of 2007.
• The average video duration was 2.8 minutes.
• The average viewer watched 72 videos.

‚ÄúDecember represented a considerably strong month for online video viewing,‚Äù said comScore’s Erin Hunter. ‚ÄúWith the writer‚Äôs strike keeping new TV episodes from reaching the airwaves, viewers have been seeking alternatives for fresh content. It appears that online video is stepping in to help fill that void.‚Äù