• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, December 19, 2002

MultiTasking Watchers Do TV and Web Simultaneously

According to a 2002 survey of over 7,800 US consumers from BIGresearch, simultaneous media usage is a regular occurrence for roughly 50% of the US population. BIGresearch determined that 31% of female respondents say that when they are watching TV, they regularly go online, while 24.3% of men say the same. Additionally, 43% of women say that they regularly watch TV when they are online, and 34.8% of male respondents say the same.

Dual Media Consumption in U.S. (% of respondents) “regularly or occasionally consume two media at same time.” First, then..

	Men	Women
Go online and watch TV	59.8%	67.2%
Watch TV and go online	69.3	76.0
Read newspaper and watch TV	53.4	58.7
Watch TV and read newspaper	66.7	74.3
Listen to radio and read magazines	50.7	52.0
Read magazines and watch TV	50.4	60.0

Source: Retail Adv. and Mktg. Assoc/BIGresearch, Oct 2002

The study also determines that the prime time for watching TV and going online, or the converse, is between 7:00 P.M. and 11 P.M. in the US. Specifically, the study found that during that time period:

69.4% watch TV

43.3% go online

22.3% read magazines.

Simultaneous media consumption is a reality in the US, and BIGresearch is not the only firm covering the numbers. In September 2002, comScore Media Metrix reported that in Q1 of this year, 47% of people with a PC and TV in the same room say they "frequently" go online and watch TV at the same time.

US Internet Users Online and Watching TV Simultaneously (% users with PC and TV in same room)

Frequently 47%

Occasionally 29%

Rarely 18%

Never 5%
Source: ComScore Media Metrix

For charts @ eMarketer