A new survey from IBM claimed that the Internet has caught up with TV and, in terms of heaviest usage, surpassed it as a primary source of personal screen time.
According to the study, 19% of respondents said they spent six hours or more daily on personal Internet use, while only 9% said they spent that much time in front of the TV.
TV still topped the moderate-usage category, with 66% saying they watched 1-4 hours of TV per day versus 60% using the Internet the same amount of time to surf sites like YouTube, MySpace or Facebook or playing games.
"Consumers are demonstrating their desire for both wired and wireless access to content," said Bill Battino, communications-sector managing partner for IBM Global Business Services, in announcing the findings. "[A]n average of 81% of consumers surveyed globally indicated that they've watched or want to watch PC video, and an average of 42% indicated that they've watched or want to watch mobile video.”
The study also showed a growing appetite for portable video and music play, finding that 23% used a portable music service, 7% had a subscription for video content on their mobile phones and 11% had music service for their PC.
The global Internet survey of approximately 2,500 people skewed heavily female (64% to 36%). It was one component of a report, ominously titled, "The End of Advertising as We Know It," which will be released in the fall by IBM's consulting group, the IBM Institute for Business Value.
