Online video and TV just can't stay away from each other. They share the same content often, they usually share the same ads, and now they are trading in the same measurement.

The whole enchilada of ad-supported media is growing less than expected this year, but online video and mobile video are a few bright spots. That's among the conclusions in a revised forecast from Pivotal Research that pegs ad-supported media growth overall in 2012 at about 1% above last year, due in part to a weaker-than-expected national TV market, Pivotal Research analyst Brian Wieser said in his report. However, video remains a growth area despite the market sluggishness.

As retailers track this year's back-to-school shopping season, already in full swing, they may find that video is driving sales. In a consumer survey from Google analyzing shopping behavior around apparel buying, the search giant found that 4 in 10 shoppers had checked out a store online or in-person as a direct result of watching an online video.

Spell it out. If you want a prospective customer to watch the video on your Web page, say so. Use a clear and direct call to action. That's among the findings of a just-released white paper from Invodo, an online video e-commerce company with clients including Sports Authority, Verizon, Lenovo and others.

I'm all for the Netflix Just for Kids option. The 12-and-under programming section of Netflix just rolled out to the Xbox 360, and has been available on computers, as well as other gaming consoles and over-the-top devices for about a year. But Xbox is a big win, since the gaming console is so popular for streaming viewing.

As the Olympics wind down this weekend, one of the big questions for broadcasters will be what impact the Games will have had on multiplatform viewing habits. With 3,500 hours online and a record-setting number of streams viewed, there's every reason to believe the Olympics may expand multiplatform viewing of sports. Will it carry over? Time will tell, but consumers seem eager to watch sports in new ways thanks to mobile devices.

Most online video ads start with a TV spot. That's the reality of the creative process at many brands and agencies, and this kind of repurposing may end up working well as jumping-off point for interactivity in digital video ads.

Think you're seeing more ads in TV shows online? You are. Are they stopping you from watching the show? No, they're not. The average number of video ads in digital programming longer than 20 minutes rose to eight ads in the second quarter -- up from six in the first quarter, according to an analysis by online video ad technology provider FreeWheel.

On the heels of tepid quarterly reports, Netflix is also losing some of its streaming shine. Research firm The Diffusion Group reported that the company's price change last year is still impacting its customer base. According to TDG's research, the number of "highly satisfied" Netflix streaming customers has dipped from 68 percent to 48 percent.

A pet food maker wanting to expand its reach with online video might choose to put ad money into SimonsCat on YouTube, the top performer in the pet and animals category, or it could simply buy tonnage across the top ten best-performing creators in the genre. By that same token, a marketer wanting to reach audiences interested in extreme sports could segment them out in the online video world using the just-launched media buying and planning platform OpenSlate from online video ad company Outrigger Media.