Broadband Internet Eating Into TV Consumption
Broadband internet has become the second most popular entertainment medium in the UK and is fast catching up with television, according to the latest research from internet service provider, Wanadoo.
The new Fishbowl 2 survey asked 1000 people to record their media consumption over a two week period. It revealed that media users are switching off the television in favour of using the internet for more than two hours a week.
Broadband emerged as the fastest growing medium in the home, with high-speed users being on-line for 45% more time than narrowband users. They also spend 11% less time watching television, which is now the fastest declining medium, with viewing falling by 12% on the same period in 2002.
Commenting on the findings, Wanadoo sales director, Dave McCall, said: “We decided to carry out this study because we were fed up reading media research which failed to take account of the internet and now we know why. Our research shows what those of us who work with the internet have known for a long time. That broadband internet is slowly but surely eating into TV consumption.”
The study shows that functional use of the internet is declining, with the main reason for going online being entertainment. Broadband users said the internet was the only medium which could fulfil all their media needs – entertainment, information, news, gossip and music – all at one time.
McCall added: “This trend is surely going to grow over the next few months with more and more competitive broadband offers coming onto the market. Advertisers need to take notice of this now, because not only is broadband the fastest growing medium in the home, it is the only medium which allows 100% advertising presence, 100% of the time and we are developing more and more impactful ways for advertisers to take advantage of this.”
Last year research commissioned by the BT Yahoo! Broadband service revealed that internet users spend more time online than watching television. The study claimed that the average internet user spends 3.5 hours a day online, compared to just 2.8 hours watching television (see Consumers Are Spending More Time Online).
Wanadoo: 020 7553 7567 www.wanadoo.co.uk
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