Study: Consumers Want Their Media On Demand And Online

People are exercising greater control over media and entertainment nowadays by accessing content through a variety of digital channels and devices, according to a survey by market researchers Arbitron and Edison Media Research.

An estimated 27 million Americans own one or more on-demand media devices--such as a TiVo digital video recorder (DVR), an Apple iPod or another portable music player--and exhibit multiple behaviors reflecting an on-demand media lifestyle, said the study, titled “Internet and Multimedia 2005: The On-Demand Media Consumer.”

In the past month, for instance, 10 percent of the 1,855 people polled said they watch video-on-demand services through their cable or satellite provider, and 11 percent said they access news online.

About 37 million people listened to Internet radio in the past month, and more consumers are familiar with Internet radio providers, the study found. Awareness of XM Satellite Radio has tripled since 2002, from 17 percent to 50 percent of those surveyed, and awareness of Sirius Satellite Radio has surged from 8 percent to 54 percent during that time.

Consumers today also are more apt to store digital content so they can access it anytime. For example, the study found that 27 percent of 12- to 17- year-olds own an iPod or other handheld MP3 player, and roughly 43 million Americans record TV programs using a TiVo, another type of DVR or a VCR so they can watch the shows at a different time.

What’s more, the growth of high-speed Internet service through cable and DSL modems is making people more likely to go online for information and multimedia content. Forty-eight percent of people with home Internet access now have broadband, and 48 percent have dial-up service, according to the Arbitron/Edison survey.

"Consumers are taking more control over the media that they use, how they use them and when they use them," Joe Lenski, executive vice president at Edison Media Research, said in a statement.

Other findings in the study include the following:

• Those who use on-demand audio devices and services spend only slightly less time listening to traditional radio. The average consumer spends about 2 hours and 48 minutes daily listening to traditional radio, compared with 2 hours and 33 minutes for those who own iPods or other MP3 players, subscribe to satellite radio or listen to Internet radio.

• The monthly Internet video audience is estimated at 35 million people, and the weekly online video audience is nearly 20 million.

• The number of Americans who made a purchase from a Web site in the past week has more than tripled to 14 percent this year from 4 percent in 2001.

• Ten percent of Americans with household income of $100,000 or more own a handheld wireless e-mail device, such as a Research In Motion BlackBerry.

"The study shows that consumers, while still using traditional media, have great enthusiasm and passion for on-demand media," Bill Rose, senior vice president of marketing for U.S. Media Services at Arbitron, said in a statement. "Traditional and Internet broadcasters need to adjust their approaches to accommodate this increasingly important consumer segment."