Half of US Internet Users Have TV and PC in Same Room

comScore Networks this week reports that the lines between television and Internet media in the USA continue to blur, creating a major opportunity to reach consumers via simultaneous media delivery and interactivity.

According to comScore Media Metrix, 48 percent of Internet users regularly watch television and have a television and PC in the same room. This analysis - which includes U.S. consumers age 18+ who used the Internet from a PC in the first quarter of 2002 - also determined that 47 percent are regular television viewers but do not have a television and PC in the same room. The remaining five percent of Internet users report they do not watch television at all.

Among the 45.1 million wired adults that have television and PC in the same room, nearly half (47 percent) reported they frequently use the Internet while watching television, 29 percent reported occasionally, 18 percent reported rarely and only five percent reported never doing so.

'This study is a wake-up call for media companies, as it reveals a startling connection between television and the Internet,' said Peter Daboll, division president of comScore Media Metrix. 'The opportunity to deliver integrated programming and promotions is clearer than ever. These findings are a benchmark to help companies develop stronger relationships between visitors, viewers and customers.'

This is the first in a series of data on the relationship between new and traditional media consumption, derived from comScore Media Metrix' Audience insite Measures (AiM) system. AiM is the only service to continuously and electronically monitor and combine PC-based online usage behavior with the most detailed qualitative consumer information, including: technology ownership and usage, demographic, lifestyle, attitudinal, purchase and offline media-consumption data.

While some Internet activity during television viewing is associated with television content, the majority is not. Fifteen percent of those with a television and PC in the same room reported visiting a website about the television show being watched; 11 percent reported sending e-mail or chatting online about a show being watched; 11 percent reported searching for listings or television reviews; and 10 percent reported researching or browsing products featured on a television show or in an advertisement. Conversely, 74 percent reported conducting other online activities unrelated to the television show being watched; and 52 percent reported using the computer for offline activities.

'The prevailing understanding of how the Internet can interact with TV is misguided and needs to catch up to the reality revealed by the data,' said Daboll. 'While the early fears of the Internet were that it would steer people away from prime-time viewing, the real threat to TV is that the Internet is steering away viewers' attention while they are watching TV and surfing the Internet simultaneously.'

Daboll noted the implications for advertisers and broadcasters 'First, advertisers have to understand that viewers are often dividing their attention between two media, making the Internet a flexible and efficient advertising platform as users turn their attention to the Web during TV commercial breaks or uninteresting programming. Second, TV programmers need to understand they are competing against the Internet for viewers' attention, and that efforts to extend the TV experience online in some instances could run counter to the way people are using the two platforms in the first place.'

All articles 2006-22 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas unless otherwise stated.

• comScore Media Metrix
• All news