Internet Growth in a Strong Media Market

Internet Growth in a Strong Media Market – Nielsen Media Research NetWatch

Consumers have taken the Internet into the everyday heart of the home, according to Nielsen Media Research’s NetWatch Survey for Q3 2002.

Three quarters of New Zealanders (aged 10+) now have access to the Internet from any location, which is close to a 20 percent increase on two years ago. Projected, this represents 2,422,000 New Zealanders having access to the Internet from any location.

Access at home continues to show the most rapid growth. In Q3 2002, over half the population (54 percent of all people 10+) have access to the Internet from home, an increase of 13 percent in a year and 42 percent in two years.

In contrast, access from work appears to have plateaued at around 22 percent of New Zealanders aged 10+. Fourteen percent of New Zealanders aged 10+ regularly use the Internet from libraries and 10 percent at Internet cafes.

“The Internet is now an ‘everyday’ part of the kiwi home,” says Nielsen Media Research Executive Director Nick Jones. “People use it for everyday activities, like news and current affairs, keeping in touch, banking. This doesn’t mean it’s used each day, but that it’s used for everyday activities. Having said that, the number of people who use the Internet everyday is certainly rising with almost half of regular Internet users logging on each day, representing just under a quarter of the 10+ population.”

Jones adds, “As an organisation that measures most of the main media we find it really fascinating that this growth comes in the context of both TV and print media also showing strong performance year on year. Each media has a clear place in our lives and our thirst for knowledge, communication and entertainment appears to be driving total media consumption in a very positive way.”

The most popular activity, from any location, continues to be sending and receiving emails. Other specific popular activities include accessing information and products and services, listening to music, Internet banking and downloading software.

At Q3 2002, 21 percent of regular users have made a purchase on the Internet in the last year. This represents nearly 400,000 people.

Travel or related services was the most popular category of service, having increased from 25 percent in Q3 2001 to 36 percent at Q3 2002.

The reach and demographics of Internet use have implications for marketers, both those working in Internet categories experiencing good growth and for those involved in retailing the hardware, software and services that enable internet use.

ENDS

Nielsen Media Research is part of the VNU Media Measurement & Information Group, the global leader in information services for the media and entertainment industries. The Group serves the information and marketing needs of the television and radio broadcasters, advertisers, agencies, media planners, music companies, publishers, motion-picture studios, distributors and exhibitors, and the Internet industry. The Media Measurement & Information Group is part of VNU, one of the world’s leading media and information companies. VNU employs more than 38,000 people and has annual revenues of more than EUR 4.3 billion. For further information, visit http://www.vnu.com or http://www.acnielsen.co.nz. *Source: The ACNielsen NetWatch service in New Zealand forms part of an on-going survey of 12,000 people aged 10 years and over per annum. Q3 is the July-Sept period of 2002. The sample is fully national and interviewing is conducted throughout the year in respondent’s homes. A regular user is defined as anyone who has used the Internet in the last four weeks.

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