'Heroes' online

It appears the web may not be just for YouTube videos after all.

NBC Universal's Chief Digital Officer Michael Kliavkoff says NBCU worried online video may "cannibalize its viewership," but new research reveals audiences watch TV and turn to "long-form" video online to catch up on their favorite shows.

At the OMMA Conference in New York yesterday, Kliavkoff noted that viewers of "long-form" online video use the medium much like the DVR: If a fan misses an episode of Heroes, he or she heads to the internet to catch up, reports MediaPost.

NBCU and Disney conducted research on putting full episodes online, a process that also revealed that those who start watching a long-form video online stick with it 83 percent of the time.

This is a good thing for marketers, as online video - particularly sizable content, like complete episodes - comes stocked with ads. Ads on DVR content, on the other hand, can be fast-forwarded through.