• by Mark Walsh , October 7, 2008

Nearly 70% of men ages 18 to 34 would rather rather give up TV than the Internet, according to new research commissioned by Web content provider Break Media. And 26% would rather surf the Web than have sex.

Of course, they could be watching "videos featuring hot girls," the third-most-popular category for online entertainment behind funny videos and full-length movies.

Among other findings from the study conducted by brand and communications research firm Hall & Partners: Nearly half of men in that age group spend 22 hours a week online, and nearly half said they bought something at retail after viewing an online ad.

"The results speak to how far the Web has come as an entertainment and communications platform in a short period of time," said Keith Richman, CEO of Break Media, which runs male-oriented video site Break.com and other online properties.

The report is the latest in a series of efforts that Break has commissioned to help establish the efficacy of online video advertising. In April it formed the Online Video Advertising ROI Council with partners including Ogilvy One, AT&T and Horizon Media to provide a research and education forum for the emerging ad category.

Richman said the new study, based on a survey of 500 men who use the Internet at least once a month, was intended to provide greater insight on the target audience for many consumer brands. "We're trying to help advertisers and ourselves create a portrait of the audience we're reaching," he said.

That young men spend a lot of time on the Internet and funny videos are their favorite form of online entertainment shouldn't come as a big surprise to anyone. But Richman said the research highlights the imbalance between time spent online and the relatively small share of ad dollars the Web garners.

Emarketer estimates that the Internet will account for 8.7% of total U.S. ad spending this year compared to roughly 60% for TV. "It's still a pretty stark difference," Richman. Encouraging marketers to shift more dollars online were findings indicating men are receptive to online advertising. They often recall online ads after viewing them, and nearly 60% like or don't mind 5-second video pre-roll ads. (Only 31% feel the same about 30-second pre-rolls.)

Avoiding pre-roll ads has been a driving force behind the development of less intrusive formats such as overlay ads by YouTube and other video companies. But the Break study suggests that pre-rolls are not as reviled by avid video watchers as widely assumed. "It's not nearly as bad as we think," said Richman, who has found a similar a response with Break's own audience.

The Wall Street Journal reported over the summer that YouTube was considering adding pre- and post-roll ads in its continuing efforts to increase video ad revenue. Earlier this month, the Google-owned site began testing post-roll ads on a small portion of its inventory, perhaps as a way to ease into rolling out pre-rolls.

In addition to being open to short pre-roll ads, the Break study found that 63% don't mind page takeover ads--indicating a preference for either pervasive or brief, discrete ads. Men also preferred ads that feature interactive elements such as a contest or game, and those that include video.

If the acceptance of pre-rolls seems surprising, consider some of the survey results in the psychographic realm. For instance, only 20% of men said they valued appearance over personality when it comes to attraction.