Watching online TV growing in popularity in US

Specifically, the 18-to-34 ‘leading-edge media group’ – defined by their increased weekly viewing of TV programs online – has grown from 10% of the overall age group in autumn 2007 to 12% in spring 2008, Knowledge Networks said. This group spends 80% more time online than the general 18-to-34 population, and 16% more time (about 1.25 hours per day more) with media in general.

Distribution of total internet time devoted to the specific listed activities
	18 to 34 years old (gen pop)	18 to 34 years old & watch TV online weekly
Of the six internet activities listed below, the % of time spent in:
email	19%	19%
IMing	12%	16%
social networks	12%	19%
online newspapers	5%	4%
online magazines	2%	3%
other internet use*	50%	39%
*other internet use = any internet activity not listed
Source: Knowledge Networks

Other key findings among this group:

• Daily time spent with the internet and TV is about equal – about 3.5 hours for each
• Almost half (46%) belong to one or more social networks – indexing at 177 vs the general 18-to-34 population. This activity consumes 19% of their online time, vs 12% for the general 18-to-34 population
• Instant messaging accounts for 16% of the TV-online group’s internet time (compared with 12% for all 18-to-34s)
• Email was the most used of five specific online activities at 19%, the same proportion of time spent as the general 18-to-34 group

Almost a quarter (24%) of respondents to the recent Olswang Convergence Consumer Survey said that they watch TV through the BBC’s online-video service iPlayer for at least one hour a week (see iPlayer becoming more popular).

Seventeen percent watch legitimate online TV services other than iPlayer for at least one hour a week and 9% (admit to) watching illegal online TV for at least one hour a week, the survey found.