Media News

People are consuming more media than they were six months ago, according to a new survey, but their actual spending has plunged as increasingly consumers expect free access. Spending on 'traditional' media such as newspapers and magazines has dropped almost 20% in the last six months, while spending on digital media has almost halved.

The most dramatic drop in spending is in newspapers, according to the latest KPMG Media and Entertainment Barometer. Over the past month, the survey found that 21% of newspaper readers paid nothing for their title, compared with 15% six months ago. The situation is similar for print magazines with 19% of readers saying they had paid nothing over the past month compared with 12% six months ago.

Consumers are giving more of their time to media – both online and offline – but expecting to receive more and more of it for free. In its six-monthly barometer, the survey found that the average spend per UK consumer on traditional media fell from £9.19 in September 2009 to £7.46 in March 2010 and spend on digital media dropped from £1.99 to £0.98.

The average monthly consumption of traditional media rose from 11hrs 40mins in September last year, to 12hrs 13 mins in March. Hours spent consuming digital media increased even more, from 6hrs 14mins to 7hrs 28mins. Online, social networking and blogging remains the most popular pastime with half of all respondents doing it. The big jump in usage most recently has been among 45 to 54 year olds, increasing from 37% to 45%.

Source: Guardian