Arbitron: consumers changing the way they access media
Consumer media habits are changing as people watch video-on-demand services through their cable or satellite provider (10% in the past month), access news online (11% in the past month) and listen to Internet radio (37 million in the past month), according to a new study by Arbitron and Edison Media Research.
The study, Internet and Multimedia 2005: The On-Demand Media Consumer, finds that an estimated 27 million Americans own one or more on-demand media devices-such as a TiVo/DVR, iPod or other portable MP3 player-and also exhibit multiple behaviors that show a heavy tendency toward an on-demand media lifestyle. The study focuses on devices and services that allow Americans to exercise more control over the media they consume:
· 27% of 12- to 17- year olds own an iPod or other portable MP3 player.
· An estimated 43 million Americans choose to record TV programming to watch at a different time (using technology such as a VCR or TiVo/DVR).
· 76% of consumers own at least one DVD. 39% own 20 or more DVDs in their personal collection.
· Awareness of XM Satellite Radio has tripled since 2002, from 17% to 50%, while awareness of Sirius Satellite Radio has increased even more significantly, from 8% to 54%.
"The study shows that consumers, while still using traditional media, have great enthusiasm and passion for on-demand media," said Bill Rose, senior vice president of Marketing, U.S. Media Services, Arbitron. "Traditional and Internet broadcasters need to adjust their approaches to accommodate this increasingly important consumer segment."
Additional findings:
· Those who use on-demand audio devices/services spend only slightly less time listening to traditional radio compared to the average. The average consumer spends approximately 2 hours 48 minutes per day listening to traditional radio, compared with 2 hours 33 minutes per day among those who owned iPods/portable MP3 devices, subscribed to satellite radio or listened to Internet radio during the past week.
· Broadband connections are just as common as dial-up connections in American households. Forty-eight% of people with home Internet access have broadband and 48% have dial-up service.
· The monthly Internet video audience is estimated to be approximately 35 million people; the weekly online video audience is nearly 20 million.
· The number of Americans who made a purchase from a Web site in the past week has more than tripled, with four% having purchased online in the past week in 2001 compared to 14% in 2005.
· 10% of Americans with household income of 100,000 or more own a hand-held wireless e-mail device such as a BlackBerry, compared to three% of Americans 12+.
The findings reported here are based on a January 2005 survey consisting of 1,855 telephone interviews with a randomly selected national sample of Arbitron's Fall 2004 radio diarykeepers.
