Video Streaming goes mainstream.

Streaming video has transformed over the past eight years from a quirky, jerky, content scarce and one-off event-viewing environment to a robust, brand-centric broadband medium reaching mainstream audiences.

At least that’s the conclusion of a new report from AccuStream iMedia Research, “Streaming Video 1998 – 2010: March To Mainstream.” It shows that the number of streamed videos served has grown from 284.6 million in 1998 to 18 billion in 2005.

The medium has come a long way in many ways.

The first streaming video events included a baby birth in 1998, open-heart surgery, Space Shuttle launches and a scattering of music and news programming. Today, the medium has evolved from, amateur event-based programming to more professional productions.

“As stream counts went up and audience appetite for content increased, pre-conceptions about what users would and would not do, and what the medium could and could not deliver were challenged, re-evaluated and re-cast, giving way to more innovative and dedicated publishing initiatives from major and independent brands,” said Paul A. Palumbo of AccuStream iMedia Research. “In the span of eight years, streaming video has arrived as a media channel.”

Broadband penetration has been the key driver of this growth.

“Availability of high-speed content, increased frequency of content updating and publishing also played a key role in the medium transition to a destination-oriented and brand-centric model,” said Mr. Palumbo.