Internet Households Taking to Media Players

A report by PC Data Online has found that 41 percent of households with Internet access use media players such as RealPlayer and Windows Media.

The report, which was conducted over September and October of 1999, found that consumers who access digital media content on the Internet used an average of two different players during the month. This is an increase from 1.6 players per month in September.

PC Data’s report examined the most popular digital media players, specifically Apple’s QuickTime, Microsoft’s Windows Media Player, and RealNetworks’ RealPlayer, to see which players are the most popular. RealPlayer is used by an average of eight out of ten consumers, while Windows Media Player is used by an average of six out of ten users. The QuickTime Player is used by an average of three out of ten users.

Windows Media Player has the fastest growth rate, with a 34 percent usage increase month over month. RealPlayer followed with a 5.3 percent growth in use, and QuickTime’s usage declined over the same period by 7.7 percent.

The report also reinforced the premise that use of juke box software for digital media remains in its infancy, with fewer than 23 percent of consumers who use media players also using juke box software, and approximately 9 percent of all Web users using jukebox software.

PC Data’s study was conducted by tracking a random sample of 3,000 Internet users who have used digital media players in September and October 1999. The data was weighed to represent the US Internet users as a whole.