13 million in U.S. use Web and watch TV simultaneously

[September 25th 1998]

Eight million adults in the U.S. use the Internet and watch TV simultaneously at least once a week. So do another five million, but with less frequency. For companies exploring ways to advertise and sell products via the Internet, this emerging group of "Tele-Webbers" offers a unique opportunity to study the future, according to a newly published report from INTECO Corporation.

"The characteristics of this group should be of particular interest to advertisers and content suppliers looking for synergy between the two media, " said INTECO Analyst Mark Snowden, author of the report, which was based on 2,500 detailed interviews conducted in May.

Not unexpectedly, the eight million who simultaneously surf the Web and view TV at least once a week are keenly interested in visual presentation, are highly receptive to advertising and view the Internet as a form of entertainment. What is unexpected, Snowden noted, is the extent to which this group uses electronic commerce.

At this early point in the development of Web/TV convergence, the demographic details known about Tele-Webbers do not distinguish them significantly from the general Internet population. However, INTECO said recent research has turned up several distinct attitudinal and behavioural characteristics, including:

Interest in the Internet.
The most-frequently cited barriers to increased use of the Internet (" rather do other things", "lack the time", or "difficulty in finding information") are much less of a problem to this group than to the average Internet user. In this regard, Tele-Webbers provide some valuable leading-edge indicators since over time -- as communication speeds increase, searching becomes easier and more Americans become accustomed to using the Internet -- these barriers will be reduced for all Internet users.

Interest in visual presentation.
Tele-Webbers enjoy making home videos and also value the visual content of Web pages more highly than the average home Internet user.

Young males prominent.
Young males aged 18 to 34 are strongly represented, accounting for 28 percent of Tele-Webbers, compared to 18 percent of all adults who use the Internet at home.

Advertising tolerance and receptivity.
Forty percent of Tele-Webbers click on a Web ad at least once a week -- almost four times the level of all other home Internet users. They are also more likely to visit a Web site advertised on TV, and show a higher degree of tolerance for advertising than average.

E-Commerce usage.
The level of electronic commerce use by Tele-Webbers of particular interest, Snowden said. Apart from familiarity with the Internet, there is little to indicate that this group should have any greater interest in electronic commerce than the average Internet user. However, between January and March of 1998, Tele-Webbers made 25 percent more purchases than the average for all Internet users and spent 50 percent more.

"Clearly, synergistic opportunities exist between TV and the Internet, " Snowden said, "either in terms of complementing TV programming with simultaneous Web site information, or by using TV advertising to direct mass audiences to Web sites. As this group becomes larger and more mainstream, its behaviour will provide valuable guideposts to the future of these two powerful media."

Links
INTECO		http://www.inteco.com