Time was, we expected a convergence of the computer and the television into one screen. The fear from television was that the emergence of the Internet was a zero-sum threat; hours into the Internet would be hours out of the television screen experience. While neither has come to pass, it doesn't mean the TV and the computer aren't working with each other. New data from Nielsen indicates Americans are more and more often using their computers while watching TV. About 60 per cent say they do so at least once a month. The level of multitasking rose 38 per cent in one year, Nielsen suggests. It's perhaps an indication why such marquee television events as the Super Bowl, Oscars and Winter Olympics drew high ratings --- the use of the computer, particularly for social networking while the event was televised, turned America into one big living room. A new survey from the Nielsen organization suggests that, even though women do not comprise the majority of smartphone owners, they comprise the majority of mobile social networking. They "friend" and "Tweet" 10 percentage points (55 vs. 45 per cent) more than do men. And it's not the youngest cohort networking. The 35-54 age group comprises one point more (36 vs. 35) than the 25-34 age group in their use. Even though that's a larger age span, it's interesting to see the level of use in that cohort. 1 Comment A 52-country survey of 27,000 online users by Nielsen suggests nearly half would consider paying for news delivered digitally. But there are several catches: If people already pay for it in print, they want it free online. If a Web site charges, a large number would stop using it. If they buy it, they feel free to share it. About half of those who would pay would prefer micropayment systems, while more than four in 10 say an easy payment system would be more enticing. And nearly two-thirds feel that, once they've paid, the content ought to be ad-free. A new Nielsen study suggests Americans are most attached to the television set, then the radio dial, and then the Internet. While the conventional wisdom supposes online has surpassed traditional media, TV and radio have a strong lead in audience. Indeed, radio is made larger by the MP3 player. Newspapers and magazines trail the broadcast/online forms of media in the U.S. The breakdown of percentage of audience daily and time spent was found to be:
Newspaper Web time spent increases slightly 08/21/2009
Editor & Publisher reports Nielsen Online data that suggests the time spent on leading newspaper sites rose slightly in July. The New York Times and Wall Street Journal experienced some substanial gains, while the Washington Post only crept up slightly. It is possible the data isn't representative of trends because Nielsen altered its panels in June. But at the very least, it suggests strong use of the top sites and sustained use of them. Surprise: Teens use traditional media 06/26/2009
A new Nielsen report suggests the belief teens are eschewing conventional for social media is somewhat mythical. They're still glued to the TV, reading (gasp) printed media, and playing in the new sphere but not living in it. New data from Nielsen Online suggests the time spent on newspaper Web sites declined at 17 of the top 30 U.S. outlets in May. The typical user spends seven minutes a month on such sites. A new Nielsen Co study has found that Americans see 61 minutes of commercial messages and promotions and spend 8.5 hours in front of a screen each day. Nielsen Online has released new data indicating the top 10 newspaper Web sites in the U.S. continued relatively strong growth in 2008. Year-over-year, the top 10 sites experienced 16-per-cent growth in the period ending December 2008. There once was a notion that the arrival of the computer screen would somehow rob the television screen, that the activity of the consumer was a zero-sum game. |   
I am the Ombudsman of the CBC and Executive-in-Residence as an Adjunct Professor at the Graduate School of Journalism at University of British Columbia.
In 2008 I launched themediamanager.com to keep abreast of significant change in media. Since I moved to the Ombudsman's role, I have shifted the focus of the blog to media ethics. Intentionally you will not find my opinions here. Any such views should not be inferred as my employer's. I have held the senior editorial roles at The Vancouver Sun, CTV News, The Hamilton Spectator and Southam News. I am the founding Executive Editor of National Post, a former Ottawa Bureau Chief and General News Editor at The Canadian Press, and host on CBC Newsworld. My social networking includes activity on Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin. ArchivesApril 2012 CategoriesAll The Canadian analytics firm Sysomos has published new data on nearly 100 million posts it reviewed and it shows |
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