How Are Short Films Consumed?

There are different ways that short films are consumed. From extras in movies to short film festivals. Although in my opinion I think that a festival is the best way for short films to be consumed because there is a crowd examples include:
The London Short Film Festival or LSFF:
The London Short Film Festival, now in its 11th year, is recognised as the premiere UK showcase for cutting-edge UK independent film.
Renowned for daring cross-arts programming, we showcase the very best of the country’s raw talent. The London Short Film Festival is a Mecca for the UK’s young creative talent and a significant date in the UK film calender.
Every year the Festival’s large and loyal audience flock to screenings and events, and this network has grown steadily over almost a decade.

This is a film that was shown in the LSFF.

Aesthetica Short Film Festival:
An established and dynamic player on the UK film festival circuit, the Aesthetica Short Film Festival (ASFF) is a celebration of independent film from across the world, and an outlet for championing and supporting short filmmaking. Join us from 7 – 10 November 2013 to take part in the experience.
Spanning all genres including drama, documentary, animation, comedy, music video, thriller, experimental and artists’ film, the festival showcases its films across 15 distinct and historic locations in the city of York. Moving between medieval halls, ancient city walls, boutique cinemas, galleries and museums, the festival invites visitors to create their own unique viewing experience.
Alongside screenings, ASFF also presents a series of masterclasses and workshops with leading industry figures, working with such organisations as BAFTA, Channel 4, Film4, Warp Films, Raindance, Sheffield Doc/Fest and many more. There are also guest screenings, networking opportunities and special events throughout the weekend.

This is an award winning short film from the Aesthetica Short Film Festival.

There are other ways of consuming Short Films for example the extras on DVD's these can be anything from interviews with the cast to bloopers and deleted scenes.
This is the deleted scenes from the movie Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire:

Of course these Short films are all distributed from YouTube. So another fantastic way to consume Short Films is through the WorldWideWeb. Here aere just  few examples:

This is by an independent short film company who work on a budget and make their money through the advertisements on YouTube.

This is a short movie created by the BBC and can be viewed via the BBC  website.

As long as the short films are distributed in the right way example: before a film at the cinema or before a largely viewed television show (Downton Abbey) then the short film will be able to make itself a small amount of money or just for amateur directors to advertise their brilliance.