The average European Internet user is online five days a week, and spends 10 hours 15 minutes a week online - a 17% increase since last year and 56% longer than in 2003,according to research conducted for the EIAA by SPA and Synovate. The latest from comScore meanwhile shows US surfers making good use of streaming media.
The European Interactive Advertising Association (EIAA) Mediascope Europe Study was conducted among 7,000 Europeans, and also highlights the emergence of a new group of super Internet users. 24% of those questioned (31% of broadband users) spend more than 16 hours a week online.
The 17% annual increase in online use compares with a 6% increase reported in time spent watching TV, but an impressive and perhaps surprising 14% rise in listening to radio and 13% in time reading newspapers. There was a 7% decrease in time spent reading magazines.
As well as spending more time online, consumers are becoming much more sophisticated users due to increasing broadband penetration. 29% of those questioned download music at least once a month, 13% regularly contribute to online blogging sites, 12% download podcasts at least once a month, and 10% use the Internet to make telephone calls.
With the exception of early mornings (6am - 10am), the Internet is the second most used media throughout the day. Between 10am and 5.30pm, the Internet comes just behind radio in terms of most used media. In the evenings, it comes second to TV.
French Internet users are the most avid, averaging 13 hours a week online. Those in the UK and Spain spend an average of 11 hours online, while in the Nordic and Benelux countries the figure is 10 hours a week. Italians spend the least amount of time online with an average of only 8 hours per week.
Michael Kleindl, Chairman of the EIAA, says: 'What is striking about this study is how quickly consumers are becoming such sophisticated Internet users. It just goes to show that if you offer excellent content and services, the demand will be there.' He adds: 'This is an important point for marketers to note as the Internet is unlike any other media in terms of the sophistication of interaction it offers with consumers.'
The study involved 7,000 random telephone interviews with 1,000 respondents in the UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy and the Nordics and 500 respondents in Belgium and the Netherlands. Interviews were conducted between September and October 2005.
The European Interactive Advertising Association is online at www.eiaa.net
Meanwhile, comScore Networks' latest analysis of browsing behaviour finds widespread use of streaming media, with users in the middle age bands making most use of streaming video. The 'State of the Consumer Streaming Market' report, released in conjunction with StreamingMedia.com, says 35- to 54-year-olds accounted for more than 45% of all online video watched in August.
The report is based on a representative cross-section of more than 1.5m US consumers who have given comScore permission to confidentially capture their full browsing behaviour, including audio and video consumption. comScore measures millions of audio and video records each month and matches each record to demographic data.
The research found that 35- to 54-year-olds are 20% more likely to watch online video than the average Internet user, and 25- to 34-year-olds 12% more likely. Other findings include:
All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.
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