The Internet is Essential and Streamies are Buyers When compared with traditional media, one out of five Americans feel that the Internet is the "most essential" medium to their lives,
according to a new study "Internet 9: The Media and Entertainment World of Online Consumers," by Arbitron Inc. and Edison Media Research. 46 percent of 12-to-34 year-olds chose the Internet as the
most "cool and exciting" medium, while 29 percent chose TV as the most "cool and exciting" medium.
Media Most Essential to US Consumers
(% of total population or college educated)
| | Total Population | College Degree or Higher |
| Newspapers | 11% | 13% |
| Internet | 20 | 30
|
| Radio | 26 | 21 |
| Television | 39 | 32 |
Source: Arbitron/Edison Media Research, Sep 2002
The study also revealed that weekly "Streamies" - those who have watched or listened to streaming media
online in the past week - bought more than one and a half times the number of compact discs in the past year than the average American.
In addition, weekly Streamies go to movie theaters
considerably more often (3.19 times) than the typical consumer (1.85 times) in the past three months. Of particular interest to movie marketers, nearly two-thirds (62 percent) of video Streamies have
viewed movie trailers or previews online, making trailers and previews the number one content for video Streamies.
"While some in the entertainment industry have viewed streaming as a threat,
the study shows that it really represents a tremendous opportunity. Marketing music on streaming media channels provides access to a lucrative group of record buyers that could be an important key to
revenue growth for record labels. Similarly, movie studios have the opportunity to reach frequent movie-goers by promoting their new films via webcasting."
In July 2002, nearly a quarter (22
percent) of Internet audio Streamies - an estimated 16 million Americans - indicated that they would be willing to pay a small fee to listen to the online audio channel they currently listen to the
most. In comparison, only 14 percent were interested in paying a fee in January 2002.
Additional findings from the Internet 9 study include:
Access to the Internet has leveled off at
approximately 70 percent of all Americans. Despite the slowing growth of Internet adoption, the average daily time spent online continues to steadily increase, approaching one hour per day. In July
2002, Americans reported spending an average of 58 minutes online per day, up from 41 minutes in July 2001. 57 percent of "Monthly Streamies" have a household income over $50,000, compared to 38
percent of the total population. Nearly half (45 percent) have a college degree or higher level of education compared to 32 percent of the total population. Monthly Streamies spent $895 online
in the past year, compared to $596 for online users as a whole. The study may be downloaded free of charge via the Arbitron and Edison Media Research Web sites at www.arbitron.com and www.edisonresearch.com.