Europeans flock to web rather than TV

copyright Revolution UK
published January 20, 2006

The amount of time European consumers spend on the web is growing at a faster rate than any other medium, according to the European Interactive Advertising Bureau (EIAA).

Its research, involving 7,000 interviews from September to October 2005, revealed that the average European internet user spends 10 hours and 15 minutes online a week; a 17 per cent rise on 2004 and a 56 per cent rise on 2003.

This compares to TV, which rose by just six per cent, radio by 14 per cent and newspapers by 13 per cent. Meanwhile, magazines experienced a seven per cent decrease in consumption.

With the exception of early mornings (6am to 10am), the internet is the second most-used medium throughout the rest of the day.

Almost a quarter of users surveyed (24 per cent) said they spend more than 16 hours a week online, while 69 per cent are online five days a week.

For broadband users, nearly a third (31 per cent) spend more than 16 hours a week online.

The EIAA also found blogging is becoming more popular, with 13 per cent of European users regularly contributing to online blogging sites.

Meanwhile, 12 per cent of users download podcasts at least once a month, 10 per cent make phone calls over the web, and 29 per cent download music at least once a month.