• by Paul Gough , November 4, 2003

After reported sightings of 18- to 34-year-old men just about everywhere but network television, comScore Media Metrix finds about 75 percent of the men in the demographic are on the Internet - and they're spending more time there.

Nearly 27 million 18- to 34-year-old men used the Internet in September, according to comScore. They spent more time online than the average Internet user, an average 32 hours per person in September compared to 27 hours. And they saw more pages while they were online, 3,370 pages in September compared to 2,645 average pages per user.

"The fact that more than 75 percent of 18- to 34-year-old men in the U.S. are using the Internet seems to take at least some of the mystery out of the decline in TV viewing among this prized demographic," said Peter Daboll, president of comScore Media Metrix. "Given the heavy Web usage patterns we see in this segment, marketers clearly can reach this prized demographic - quickly and efficiently - through interactive marketing."

Primetime network TV ratings for men 18-24 have been plunging in recent weeks, according to both Nielsen Media Research and a study by Interpublic's Magna Global USA. The primetime fall off is between 8 percent and 12 percent, though there's a slight increase in total day viewing. Nielsen said some of the decline was due to changes in media usage, with video game playing rising among young males where they used to watch primetime network TV.

They're also using the Internet more, said comScore. Internet usage is higher among men 18-34 than women the same age and that gaming information is the top category that they're interested in. Adult content is the second highest area of interest, according to comScore.