Mar 29, 2024
Visit our sister site:

Headline, Industry News

Web users choose internet over TV: global poll

Many people today are finding themselves in a bitter love triangle, torn between their television sets and computer screens. But it would seem the Internet is emerging as the clear winner, with more people admitting they spend more time online, according to the results of an international poll.

Sixty-eight per cent of adults with access to the Internet spend more time online than they spend watching television, according to an Ipsos poll conducted for Canada.com.

The survey asked more than 24,000 adults from 23 countries whether they agreed or disagreed with the statement, “I spend more time during the week on the Internet than watching TV.

The survey results are indicative of a trend, said Steve Mossop, president of Ipsos Reid. “But I don’t think the TV is going anywhere. Growth rates are significant, but the full implications are still a number of years away,” he said, noting that 73 per cent of the population doesn’t have Internet access.

In fact, Canada was among the countries whose web users were least likely to say they were spending more time online than watching TV.

France (58 per cent), Canada (57 per cent) and Belgium (55 per cent) were at the bottom of the list.

“Canada’s low ranking speaks to the quality of television here,” Mossop said. “It means that cable does a good job of capturing its audience.”

By contrast, residents of China 89 per cent), Russia (87 per cent) and Turkey (77 per cent) were the most likely to say they were spending more time on the Internet, according to the poll.

Some people, however, have less faith in the tenacity of the television.

“It’s over,” said Richard Cavell, an English professor at the University of British Columbia. “There is no TV anymore, because it has become the Internet.”

Cavell, who researches media, technology and television, pointed to a study out of the United States that found television usage per capita is increasing by several hours a year. “But what that statistic doesn’t tell you, is that the increase in TV usage was on the Internet, as people download and stream shows online.”

Echoing the new Ipsos data, Statistics Canada data released last month showed that in 2009, 80 per cent of Canadians 16 and older used the Internet, up from 73 per cent in 2007.

Regardless of current trends though, another media expert said he is confident the boob tube won’t be moving from the living room to the museum any time soon.

“The television is not going anywhere. Internet isn’t taking it over,” said Charles Zamaria, a professor in the School of Radio and Television Arts at Ryerson University, and project director for the Canadian Internet Project, which studies trends in Canadians’ use of Internet, traditional media and emerging technologies.

“While 98 per cent of young people tend to use the Internet regularly, we’re finding they return to traditional media once they experience lifestyle changes, like employment,” he said, explaining that media consumption often comes in ebbs and flows. “People do tend to go back to traditional media.”

Because either medium offers consumers unique experiences, Zamaria said, the television is guaranteed to have a resurgence, as people search for opportunities to passively be entertained and find information.

On the other hand, a significant appeal of the Internet, said pollster Mossop, is the level of control the consumer exerts over what they read or watch.

Still, history is on television’s side, said Zamaria. “The myth that the Internet is going to be a ruination of traditional media is quite overstated,” he said.

“We’ve haven’t lost a major media since they were invented, from the telegraph onward, and I don’t think anything is going to be replaced by the Internet.”

Source: Montreal Gazette

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Headline, Industry News

Web users choose internet over TV: global poll

Many people today are finding themselves in a bitter love triangle, torn between their television sets and computer screens. But it would seem the Internet is emerging as the clear winner, with more people admitting they spend more time online, according to the results of an international poll.

Sixty-eight per cent of adults with access to the Internet spend more time online than they spend watching television, according to an Ipsos poll conducted for Canada.com.

The survey asked more than 24,000 adults from 23 countries whether they agreed or disagreed with the statement, “I spend more time during the week on the Internet than watching TV.

The survey results are indicative of a trend, said Steve Mossop, president of Ipsos Reid. “But I don’t think the TV is going anywhere. Growth rates are significant, but the full implications are still a number of years away,” he said, noting that 73 per cent of the population doesn’t have Internet access.

In fact, Canada was among the countries whose web users were least likely to say they were spending more time online than watching TV.

France (58 per cent), Canada (57 per cent) and Belgium (55 per cent) were at the bottom of the list.

“Canada’s low ranking speaks to the quality of television here,” Mossop said. “It means that cable does a good job of capturing its audience.”

By contrast, residents of China 89 per cent), Russia (87 per cent) and Turkey (77 per cent) were the most likely to say they were spending more time on the Internet, according to the poll.

Some people, however, have less faith in the tenacity of the television.

“It’s over,” said Richard Cavell, an English professor at the University of British Columbia. “There is no TV anymore, because it has become the Internet.”

Cavell, who researches media, technology and television, pointed to a study out of the United States that found television usage per capita is increasing by several hours a year. “But what that statistic doesn’t tell you, is that the increase in TV usage was on the Internet, as people download and stream shows online.”

Echoing the new Ipsos data, Statistics Canada data released last month showed that in 2009, 80 per cent of Canadians 16 and older used the Internet, up from 73 per cent in 2007.

Regardless of current trends though, another media expert said he is confident the boob tube won’t be moving from the living room to the museum any time soon.

“The television is not going anywhere. Internet isn’t taking it over,” said Charles Zamaria, a professor in the School of Radio and Television Arts at Ryerson University, and project director for the Canadian Internet Project, which studies trends in Canadians’ use of Internet, traditional media and emerging technologies.

“While 98 per cent of young people tend to use the Internet regularly, we’re finding they return to traditional media once they experience lifestyle changes, like employment,” he said, explaining that media consumption often comes in ebbs and flows. “People do tend to go back to traditional media.”

Because either medium offers consumers unique experiences, Zamaria said, the television is guaranteed to have a resurgence, as people search for opportunities to passively be entertained and find information.

On the other hand, a significant appeal of the Internet, said pollster Mossop, is the level of control the consumer exerts over what they read or watch.

Still, history is on television’s side, said Zamaria. “The myth that the Internet is going to be a ruination of traditional media is quite overstated,” he said.

“We’ve haven’t lost a major media since they were invented, from the telegraph onward, and I don’t think anything is going to be replaced by the Internet.”

Source: Montreal Gazette

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Headline, Industry News

Web users choose internet over TV: global poll

Many people today are finding themselves in a bitter love triangle, torn between their television sets and computer screens. But it would seem the Internet is emerging as the clear winner, with more people admitting they spend more time online, according to the results of an international poll.

Sixty-eight per cent of adults with access to the Internet spend more time online than they spend watching television, according to an Ipsos poll conducted for Canada.com.

The survey asked more than 24,000 adults from 23 countries whether they agreed or disagreed with the statement, “I spend more time during the week on the Internet than watching TV.

The survey results are indicative of a trend, said Steve Mossop, president of Ipsos Reid. “But I don’t think the TV is going anywhere. Growth rates are significant, but the full implications are still a number of years away,” he said, noting that 73 per cent of the population doesn’t have Internet access.

In fact, Canada was among the countries whose web users were least likely to say they were spending more time online than watching TV.

France (58 per cent), Canada (57 per cent) and Belgium (55 per cent) were at the bottom of the list.

“Canada’s low ranking speaks to the quality of television here,” Mossop said. “It means that cable does a good job of capturing its audience.”

By contrast, residents of China 89 per cent), Russia (87 per cent) and Turkey (77 per cent) were the most likely to say they were spending more time on the Internet, according to the poll.

Some people, however, have less faith in the tenacity of the television.

“It’s over,” said Richard Cavell, an English professor at the University of British Columbia. “There is no TV anymore, because it has become the Internet.”

Cavell, who researches media, technology and television, pointed to a study out of the United States that found television usage per capita is increasing by several hours a year. “But what that statistic doesn’t tell you, is that the increase in TV usage was on the Internet, as people download and stream shows online.”

Echoing the new Ipsos data, Statistics Canada data released last month showed that in 2009, 80 per cent of Canadians 16 and older used the Internet, up from 73 per cent in 2007.

Regardless of current trends though, another media expert said he is confident the boob tube won’t be moving from the living room to the museum any time soon.

“The television is not going anywhere. Internet isn’t taking it over,” said Charles Zamaria, a professor in the School of Radio and Television Arts at Ryerson University, and project director for the Canadian Internet Project, which studies trends in Canadians’ use of Internet, traditional media and emerging technologies.

“While 98 per cent of young people tend to use the Internet regularly, we’re finding they return to traditional media once they experience lifestyle changes, like employment,” he said, explaining that media consumption often comes in ebbs and flows. “People do tend to go back to traditional media.”

Because either medium offers consumers unique experiences, Zamaria said, the television is guaranteed to have a resurgence, as people search for opportunities to passively be entertained and find information.

On the other hand, a significant appeal of the Internet, said pollster Mossop, is the level of control the consumer exerts over what they read or watch.

Still, history is on television’s side, said Zamaria. “The myth that the Internet is going to be a ruination of traditional media is quite overstated,” he said.

“We’ve haven’t lost a major media since they were invented, from the telegraph onward, and I don’t think anything is going to be replaced by the Internet.”

Source: Montreal Gazette

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisements