Nielsen//NetRatings recently announced that traffic to Apple's iTunes Web site and use of the iTunes application has skyrocketed 241 percent over the past year, from 6.1 million unique visitors in December 2004 to 20.7 million in December 2005, reaching nearly14 percent of the active Internet population.
17 year olds are nearly twice as likely to visit the iTunes Web site and use the application as the average Internet user. The site's traffic is 54 percent male and 46 percent female.
Jon Gibs, director of media analytics, Nielsen//NetRatings, said "The rapid growth of iTunes is an important phenomenon in the online media marketplace. Consumers have clearly indicated that they are eager to control their own music libraries, one song at a time."
iTunes users form a distinct target audience with identifiable brand preferences. Their favorite car make is Volkswagen, which they are 2.2 times more likely to own than the average Internet user. In terms of beverages, their alcohol of choice is hard cider, followed by imported and domestic beer.
Among magazines, iTunes users are 3.3 times more likely than average to read Wired, 2.6 times more likely to read Rolling Stone and 2.5 times more likely to read FHM.
When watching television, they flock to the Cartoon Network at 1.4 times the average rate, and to HBO and BBC America at 1.3 and 1.2 times the average rate, respectively.
"As networks begin to decide what types of programs to either produce or distribute through iTunes video, they should match the TV audiences' offline purchase and media consumption behavior with that of the iTunes users to maximize the success of video downloads," said Gibs.
Profile Points for iTunes Users (U.S.) | |
Category | Composition Index |
VEHICLE MAKE | |
Volkswagen | 217 |
Audi | 204 |
Subaru | 177 |
ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES | |
Hard Cider | 234 |
Imported Beer | 202 |
Domestic Beer | 181 |
MAGAZINE READERSHIP | |
Wired | 329 |
Rolling Stone | 262 |
FHM | 245 |
TV NETWORK VIEWERSHIP | |
Cartoon Network | 137 |
BBC America | 129 |
HBO | 123 |
Source: Nielsen//NetRatings, @Plan Winter 2005/2006 Release |
Note: Average Composition Index is 100.