• by Masha Geller , May 13, 2002

We know multitasking is a favorite activity of some web users. But who those users are and what exactly they’re doing while they’re surfing the web is largely unknown as of yet. From a February 2002 US Department of Commerce report we know that 56.5% of all TV households are equipped with a computer, but does that mean they’re a prime target for TV/Web cross promotions?

New findings from MultiMedia Mentor, the strategic media planning service from Knowledge Networks/SRI, suggest that television/Internet convergence is gaining acceptance among average Web users.

According to data collected through in-depth interviews with about 5,000 consumers annually, during early weekday evenings, simultaneous TV/Internet use among consumers age 35 to 49 has nearly doubled over the past six months.

The study shows that, compared to six months earlier, convergent TV/Internet use between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. on weekdays nearly doubled among adults 35 to 49, with 11% reporting simultaneous use the day before - a figure that had held at 6% for the previous two surveys.

Similarly, among men 18 to 34, simultaneous TV/Web use during the same hours rose 3 percentage points to 13%, after remaining at 10% for the past two studies. For women of the same age group, the figure is 8% - unchanged for the past year.

Among teens (ages 12 to 17), TV/Internet convergence also grew, but more slowly than in the past; 13% reported simultaneous use from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. during the workweek, versus 11% six months earlier and 6% one year earlier.