Nielsen Lifts Lid On Broadband Usage
Internet measurement specialist Nielsen//NetRatings has revealed the scale of Britain’s rapid broadband take up, with almost three quarters of users now accessing websites through high speed connections.
Content providers such as Disney, Blogger and MyOffers have experienced the greatest growth in broadband audience over the past year, with high speed users increasing by 269%, 256% and 176% respectively year on year.
The increased usage, according to Nielsen//NetRatings, is due to the nature of websites such as Disney, ITV.com, Blogger and to a lesser extent, MyOffers. Those sites offering entertainment content are best positioned to exploit the rich media capabilities of broadband, giving high speed users a more fulfilling experience.
However, outside the realm of entertainment websites, the rest of the top ten in terms of broadband audience growth consists of well known high street brands, proving the value of established brands and broadband’s ability to showcase products online.
As Nielsen explains: “The ability to view high-resolution images of a potential purchase now overrides the original argument of web-sceptics that shoppers wouldn’t buy products from the Internet as they couldn’t see what they were buying.”
The new figures show how dramatically online purchasing has changed due to the proliferation of broadband, a shift which Nielsen predicts will create a “bountiful e-Christmas” this year.
Commenting on the findings, Alex Burmaster, European internet analyst at Nielsen//NetRatings, said: “Broadband is not only good news for surfers, providing them with more efficient Internet access, but great news for website owners. Broadband users generally spend twice as long on their PC’s, visit twice as many sites, view three and a half times more pages and download more multimedia content than narrowband users.”
The increasing speed of broadband connections is also changing the nation’s online habits, according to Nielsen. Burmaster explained that, over the last year, there has been a five-fold increase in the percentage of users with a “premium” broadband connection of at least 512K. However, such services are now regarded as “standard speed,” as faster connections become reasonably priced.
“The market has become increasingly competitive, what was marketed as the premium service is now marketed as the standard service,” Burmaster said. “The explosion in broadband has affected the way that men, women and families use the Internet today – whether it is streaming the latest sports action, banking, dating, shopping or playing multimedia games. Broadband is rapidly shifting the Internet from a technological tool to a lifestyle choice.”
| Top 10 Brands experiencing greatest growth in Broadband audience | ||||
| Rank | Brand | Unique BB Audience Aug 04 | Unique BB Audience Aug 05 | % Growth |
| 1 | Disney Online | 268,407 | 991,088 | 269% |
| 2 | Blogger | 284,581 | 1,011,624 | 256% |
| 3 | MyOffers | 397,175 | 1,097,940 | 176% |
| 4 | ITV.com | 326,657 | 844,409 | 159% |
| 5 | HSBC | 474,203 | 1,187,088 | 150% |
| 6 | Tesco | 1,026,110 | 2,453,188 | 139% |
| 7 | Currys | 345,068 | 820,959 | 138% |
| 8 | Rightmove | 311,037 | 734,970 | 136% |
| 9 | Review Centre | 358,174 | 844,936 | 136% |
| 10 | Next | 296,931 | 692,595 | 133% |
| Source: Nielsen//NetRatings | ||||