Mele’s Musings

Broadband users spend nearly half their free time online, Netpop says

Not sure what is more surprising – the fact that they spend so much free time online, or that they have so little free time!

Picture: Mistfall.com

Article excerpt: The Internet has become a big part of the leisure-time activities of U.S. consumers with broadband connections who spend nearly half of their free time each weekday online, according to a survey by Netpop Research. Respondents say they have on average 4.5 hours of free time each weekday and spend 2.2 of those hours on the web. Many are multitasking, especially watching TV and going online simultaneously. Four out of five say they have gone online while watching TV, and 39% say they do so regularly, according to Netpop, a division of market research and consulting firm Media-Screen LLC. Why do they go online while watching TV? 63% say to get work done, 38% for something to do during commercials, 25% to look up information about the show they’re watching, 15% to check out products, 15% to take polls or share opinions, and 11% to share experiences with others. The Rest:internetretailer.com

Musing: Very interesting insight into how users multi-task. Almost 2 out of 5 say they go online while watching TV because they want something to do during commercials. Another indication that it is vital that our online ads and TV ads are connected and integrated. Consumers are also starting to share more of their TV watching with others while online. Also surprising that the amount of time spent online did not vary greatly by income. Very interesting. As consumption changes, are we really doing enough to address how we are talking to our consumers?