Consumers spend more time on the web, less watching TV
Published December 30, 2010
Consumers are spending less time watching television and more time surfing the web, according to a new report from eMarketer, highlighting the growing importance of digital marketing initiatives.
Americans devote nearly 24 percent of their media time to the internet, a number that has grown by 1 percent each year since 2008. Meanwhile, television has remained consistent, dropping 1 percent from 41 percent in 2009 to 40 percent in 2010. The fastest-growing media time sink is mobile, though it still accounts for a relatively insignificant chunk of consumers' media time at 7.5 percent.
"In 2010, consumers spent an average of four hours and 24 minutes each day watching TV and video, while being online for two hours and 35 minutes. Mobile devices received an average of 50 minutes' worth of attention every day - the same amount of time allotted to newspapers and magazines combined," the source notes.
With consumers spending more time online, marketers are also spending more on online advertising. In 2011, brands are expected to spend $28.5 billion on online marketing, according to a separate report from eMarketer.