Has Web Time Finally Exceeded TV Time? [2/22/2008]

In the US, web time now exceeds TV time for online users. According to IDC data collected in September and October 2007, US online users spend twice as much time on the web than watching TV—almost 33 hours to be exact.

Experts project that this trend is only going to increase, with the next medium projected to fall prey to online usage being print media.

These findings were parroted by a comScore Media Metrix study conducted from October 2006 to October 2007. That study found that Internet users spent almost 30 hours a week online.

It is worthy to note that these two studies focused on heavy Internet users and did not take into account multitasking, e.g., watching TV and being online at the same time. This being said, how do these numbers hold up compared to the general population as a whole?

Forrester Research conducted a study of how US adults spent time on various media in 2007. TV came out on top, exceeding time spent on all other media. The study found that US adults spend 37% of their time watching TV; Internet usage came in a close second at 29%; followed by radio (19%); and newspapers (8%).

In 2007, online advertisers spent 8% of their ad dollars in online advertising and 32% in television advertising.

While TV is obviously still the medium of choice for the general population, Internet usage is growing by leaps and bounds. Smart retailers realize that to capture market share, Internet marketing has to become a bigger part of their marketing budget.

For more insight visit Online Consulting Services

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