Internet More Popular Than TV?

A new study from IDC indicates that on average people spend 32.7 hours online a week and only 16.4 hours watching television. Newspapers and magazines get only 3.9 hours of our attention. IDC surveyed 992 Americans aged 15 years and older.

But does this actually mean that the Internet is twice as popular as television? I wouldn’t say that just yet. The total weekly media consumption comes to 70.6 hours in the survey. The press release also doesn’t indicate whether there was simultaneous media consumption.

Barring simultaneous consumption, with seven hours of sleep a night and eight hours of work a day, that leaves about an hour a day for everything other than media consumption. I’d like to think that even I don’t consume that much media in my spare time. The study doesn’t specify whether these hours are only “leisure” time—and I’m gonna bet that most people can’t get away with channel surfing during work.

The study also looked at online activities:

The data also show that consumers tend to use the media they grew up with. The older the respondents, the more they consume TV, newspapers, and magazines; the younger they are, the more the Internet displaces usage of traditional media. Using search engines (84% of respondents), mapping and navigation services (83%), personal research (77%), and using email (76%) are the most frequent online activities.

The 16% that didn’t use search engines would have said yes had the question said “Google” or “Yahoo.” (I’m not entirely joking—I was explaining what I do for my grandfather once. I asked him if he used search engines. He said he didn’t. I asked him if he used Google. He said he did.)

Odd, though, since I know that the stats I gave to clients two years ago said that 88% of Internet users used search engines (NFO Research, though the discrepancy there is probably within the margin of error) and even more used email (90% to 95%). I find it hard to imagine that nearly a quarter of American Internet users aren’t using email at all.

Is the Internet more popular than television? Apparently. But it’s also more portable and more universally accessible (especially from work). Is this even a fair fight?

Jordan McCollum post from Marketing Pilgrim.

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45 Responses to “Internet More Popular Than TV?”

  1. Jason Neuman on February 25th, 2008

    The internet for my family is defiantly more popular in my house. On average my wife, daughter, son and I watch an estimate of around 14 hours of TV in week and spend at least 40+ hours per week on the net.

  2. Angie on February 25th, 2008

    I DVR everything I watch on television, but even so I suppose that I am actually online more than I am in front of the TV. How does one tally the hours you are watching TV while surfing the net on your laptop? :)

  3. SEO Consultant on February 25th, 2008

    I certainly spend more time in front of a computer, the wifes not to mad about the idea. I do believe that sitting on the internet can make you smarter where TV never offered this. I’m now a genius!

  4. Adonis on February 25th, 2008

    I’m spending more time on internet…a lot to watch in the internet like youtube or online movies. internet has the complete infos

  5. Free Online Recipes on February 26th, 2008

    We have 4 computers in our house and all of us use our computers sometimes nearly all day. I can easily go an entire day without television but not without the internet.

  6. Rice Blogger on February 26th, 2008

    i am definately one who prefer internet than TV and spend more time on Internet…

    but I think it is bias because work has increase the ussage of computer…which put almost 8 hours day work to internet

  7. Cesar on February 26th, 2008

    Since I got a new laptop I stop watching tv and turn my face to internet because on internet you can find many stuffs to do, you do can even watch tv online.

    Before, I watch about 3-4 hours per day tv but now I watch 1 hour and about 3-4 hours per day for internet.

  8. Paul on February 26th, 2008

    This is a great stat. and I believe it to be true.

    Richard A. Smith president of Realogy Corp. – the largest residential real estate broker in the United States – said “the portion of his Coldwell banker and Century 21 branding budget devoted to newspaper will shrink by as much as two-thirds next year compared to 2006 as spending trends move online.”
    Tim Mullaney, Bloomberg, July 18th 2007

    It looks like we are all in the right business!

    I also gave jakeldaily a shout out the other week when I sent a shirt to shoemoney.

  9. Webbyrå Göteborg on February 26th, 2008

    The internet for me is certainly much more popular then TV. I am figuring to drop my TV permanently. Who needs a TV these days?

  10. Music Dictionary on February 27th, 2008

    I hardly spend any time before the television set. On the other hand, my wife spends as much time, perhaps a little less, before it than I do sitting before my computer. In my house therefore the percentage split is likely to be 55/45 or 60/40. It would have been better had the survey given full definitions.

  11. design hotels on February 27th, 2008

    Now I watch TV with a computer on my shoulders…

  12. tv brackets on February 28th, 2008

    For my daughter and I this is even more skewed. We are about 50 hours internet, 3 hours tv, 0 newspaper, 2 hours mags. Internet is taking over all aspects of our entertainment, info, and more.

  13. Twin Draft Guard on February 28th, 2008

    T.V. is obsolete now. I only watch movies on my t.v., everything else is on my computer. I feel more involved, I can learn more, and earn more. There really isn’t much productivity going on when you are watching T.V.. Also, with all of these social networking communities on the rise, many people spend hours a day keeping in touch with friends and being nosey. Definitely internet for the win.

  14. Furniture Store on February 29th, 2008

    Yes the internet is now indispensible and i for one cannot imagine my life without it. But i still would not say that it is more populrar than TV, simply because TV is so much more widely used.

  15. Nicole on February 29th, 2008

    I think the internet has to become much more widespread for it to become more popular thanthe TV

  16. Technology Slice on February 29th, 2008

    The problem with this is most people are getting the same content. They just get it from a different source ie the internet. A lot of people also watch television on their computer.

  17. mac on February 29th, 2008

    I couldn’t agree more. Even for me, after i first get my internet connection, i totally forgot about my TV, or my DVD player. Instead i only watch streaming video or just download the movie. Maybe its because with internet you can get all of information, entertainment from only one source and that makes it easy. There is no need for DVD anymore..Internet is the answer..

  18. Jeena on March 1st, 2008

    We don’t have TV at home, we don’t even like it:D

  19. Furniture Store on March 2nd, 2008

    I dont think that the internet is going to replace the TV anytime soon, but i do know that i cannot imagine my life without the internet.

  20. Patrick Burt on March 3rd, 2008

    My TV watching definitely stays in the realm of 3-5 hours a week. That’s being generous.

  21. humor tees on March 3rd, 2008

    I believe this is true. I go online for one thing and end up spending over an hour easily. TV is not very good these days except for the occaisonal sports event. I have not gotten into looking at movies on the computer or anything like that but can you imagine how much time we would spend if this became the norm.

  22. chuck norris jokes on March 3rd, 2008

    I watch TV one hour a week. I was surprised when I became aware of it. With the sites like Veoh.com, Torrentspy and thousands of blogs, TV doesnt have much chance.

    On internet, you control the content and when you want to see it. Thats unbeatable for me.

  23. seo on March 4th, 2008

    I’m not surprised. On the net i watch what i want, when i want. Can’t even remember the last time i watched tv.

  24. Paul on March 4th, 2008

    I have been trying to watch the first season of Lost on my PC and for some reason it is not letting me.

  25. Paul on March 4th, 2008

    Does anyone know what it could be?

  26. Shannon on March 7th, 2008

    I agree internet is more popular than tv, the reason is- in my opinion, the show that will be shown in the tv, will also be seen on the internet.. and not only that there are also other things you can learn from it..

  27. Yaşam ve Teknoloji on March 11th, 2008

    of corse yes.

  28. Free-hdtvs on March 14th, 2008

    It’s so true; I can even relate this to myself, I watch hardly any TV now compared to what I used to, I seem to spend all day on the internet, even if I’m just staring at the same page for hours, there’s just so much to explore, not to mention you can watch TV on the internet… any show any time, it’s the freedom and flexibility which makes it so addictive I reckon.

  29. david Williams on March 19th, 2008

    It’s very true that internet is more popular than any other media.it gives everything, be it a fact,news,entertainment,glamor.

  30. Futon-Matt on March 20th, 2008

    I think the internet will only increase in popularity.

  31. Keylogger Hater on March 24th, 2008

    Guys, did you really need a researches to confirm that internet is more popular than TV? There are no more doubts! Digital age had began…

  32. Stefanie on March 26th, 2008

    Among my friends, this is definitely true. Among some of the people I work with, I don’t think it is. It really depends on who you talk to.

  33. meachel on March 28th, 2008

    Internet has taken world by strom .I think many people like to be on internet rather than watching tv.I my self do the same and i think its definetly better than idiot box.

  34. Caroline on March 31st, 2008

    I used to be a big TV fan. Now I watch a smattering of shows and only after I’m too tired to look at the moniter on my computer for one more second. I could live without my tv faster than I could live without my computer!

  35. Asia'h Epperson on April 5th, 2008

    Yes, internet is more popular than tv now. For me, I hardly watch TV now, but, I can sit in front of the computer for hours.

  36. entertainment forum on April 5th, 2008

    Among some of the people I work with, I don’t think it is. It really depends on who you talk to.

  37. fiona on April 7th, 2008

    I agree that internet is popular to those people who wanted information. TV can only give you entertainment while internet can give you info and entertainment according to your choice.

  38. KangoInOH on April 9th, 2008

    Like many others have stated, we Tivo everything in this house so we can whiz thru it quickly. We are to the point where we do more than ever on the internet, though…banking, school, work, and pleasure. So I can see how the shift from TV to the internet can very easily take place!

  39. salvia effects on April 9th, 2008

    I do agree that internet is now very popular and its going to much more popular
    now a days and tv cannt effort that. but tv is still more popular then internet but be sure that internet will overcame that and be more popular then tv some day. I can tell about when I didnt have the internet that time I passed my time through watching tv and now I have internet and most of the time I keep stay my time with internet and last couple of days I didnt watched tv for a second.

  40. Rick Composting on April 11th, 2008

    It’s not very surprising consider the internet is pretty much everything on the tip of your fingers rather than television which is more scheduled and restrictive. In my mind, at least people are not just watching but also reading a bunch of stuff on the internet and that’s always a plus.

  41. claygod on April 15th, 2008

    I dislike web TV - constantly some mistakes :( Classical TV better!

  42. salvia on April 17th, 2008

    well I definitly ues more internet then tv

  43. web design on April 18th, 2008

    I am also one of those who prefers internet to TV, there are days where I do not watch TV at all :O

  44. pelarge on April 25th, 2008

    ha, less than 5 hours weekly for me to stay in front of TV I think :) Yes I like drama/movie, but most of the time I prefer to download and watch them from Internet :D

  45. paulette on May 12th, 2008

    Right now, I think TV is still powerful than internet because one should learn first and take away the technophobia in order to widen the internet usage.

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