US Internet Users Watch TV Whilst Online
Two thirds of US internet users watch television whilst surfing the net, according to a new report from eMarketer.
Though teens are more likely to do so than adults, it is estimated that 25%-30% of total media time is spent multitasking.
eMarketer’s report, Multitasking Consumers: Distracted or Connected? says that it is critical that marketers gain a better understanding of multitasking behaviour to effectively plan advertising, and measurement firms need to develop better tools to monitor multiple media exposures at the same time.
In 2006, 103 million of the 147 million US adult Internet users watched TV while they went online.
Nearly 90 million listened to the radio while online, and more than 50 million read magazines while online. Among teen internet users, 7.3 million of the total 9.4 million watched TV while online, and 6.9 million listened to the radio.
Debra Aho Williamson, senior analyst and author of the report “While multitasking divides consumer attention, it also opens up opportunities for advertisers.
“By understanding media pairings and how media are woven into a consumer’s day. Advertisers can discover what media are most engaging and when, and plan for that in their media allocations.”
In other research, eMarketer revealed that the US remains the single largest internet market in the world with 181.9 million internet users in 2006 (see US Remains Largest Internet Market In The World).