Broadband Draws Entertainment Traffic

Media consumption has shifted from traditional media to digital, finds Netpop Research, a syndicated division of media-screen.

In a typical month, the average person spends about 30 percent of her time listening to audio content — music, podcasts, or recorded books — on the computer; 48 percent of her time watching video content, including TV shows and full-length films; and 37 percent of her time reading print content, such as newspaper articles, magazine features, and books.

A social element has evolved from these new content consumption behaviors. “People are spending about an hour a day, on average, communicating about the entertainment, for leisure purposes,” said Josh Crandall, managing director of media-screen.

About a quarter of respondents say they are motivated to post opinions about TV shows, films, songs, games, graphic novels, and other forms of entertainment because they disagree with something someone else has said. Compare that to the fifth of respondents who post to promote a new entertainment product they want others to know about.

The report dubs this form of social media “communitainment,” or the social activities that support online entertainment content. The report finds it’s on the rise among 13 to 34 year olds, with 60 percent in this age group regularly engaging in at least one communitainment activity.

“What’s happening with the computer screen is not only are they able to consume ‘Lost’ or one or two four-minute videos, but they are [also] able to send it to a friend, give their opinion, and meet new people,” said Crandall. “It becomes a much more engaged environment for people.”

The online survey was fielded in August 2007 and consisted of 4,068 broadband users aged 13 or older in the United States.