Below are six of the latest extremely interesting statistics and trends about streaming media and digital user behavior.

Global Streaming Music Trends (EMI Global Media Insights)

1. On average, 32% of global consumers streams music, which is exactly the penetration of usage in the US.

2. While streaming music reaches close to 50% of 16 to 24 year olds, it also reaches 33% of 35 to 54 year olds and 23% of 55 to 64 year olds.

3. In a move that could shake up the growing field of Internet radio, Apple plans to develop a service that would compete with Pandora by sending streams of music customized to users’ tastes. (Wall Street Journal)

U.S. Online Video Rankings (comScore)

4. An all-time high of 188 million (87%) U.S. Internet users watched 37.7 billion online content videos in August 2012. The average American viewer watched online videos for 22.3 hours.

5. Americans viewed 9.5 billion video ads in August 2012, with each of the top four video ad properties delivering more than 1 billion video ads.

6. There are nine YouTube Partner channels with larger audiences than the top ranked program on cable TV and five YouTube Partner channels with larger audiences than the top ranked program on network TV.

Four Observations

1. Streaming media is the elephant in the room. It is impossible to overlook.

2. The time spent streaming music and watching online video has to come from somewhere. And even though growing audiences has not translated into industry wide profitability for streaming stations or online music services, the budgets for online advertising is going to come from somewhere.

3. Streaming audio and video have handed media companies and ministries a significant opportunity: to target unique audiences for the gospel, develop partner branded content channels, and optimize campaigns for advertisers across those channels.

4. Apple would not be exploring Web Radio and YouTube would not have launched 100 Web TV channels if they didn’t think those markets were now worthy of their participation.

Streaming, web-based media is the future

Web Radio and Web TV are nearly ready for prime time. Apple and YouTube’s interest in the space validates that.

In the Christian Media universe there are probably technology providers and content producers ready to strike deals that will create new platforms and bring a variety of gospel formats to users when and where they choose, across their devices.

It’s time to get digital ready.