Computer Displacing Other Entertainment Appliances.

The personal computer is rapidly replacing other ubiquitous appliances such as the telephone, radio and television as the household’s tool of choice, according to the finding of a recent BURST! Media survey of 13,000 web users, 14 yrs. and older. Entertainment that used to be accessed on separate appliances is increasingly being played on the computer.

Respondents 24 years and younger say the Internet is currently the primary way in which they either listen to music or play games. In fact, two out of five (39.1%) respondents 24 years and younger say the Internet is the primary way they listen to music – and another 9.3% say it will be in the future. One-third (31.2%) of respondents 24 years and younger say the Internet is the primary way they play games – and 11.6% say it will be in the future.

Respondents 24 years and younger are also more likely than all other age segments (53.3% v. 27.6%) to say they use the Internet to watch movies and other video programming.

More than half of all respondents say they use the Internet to listen to music (52.3%), and a similar number (50.2%) say they use it to play games. Teens and those between 18-24 years are much more likely than other age segments to say they use the Internet for these activities. In fact, three-quarters (76.5%) of respondents 24 years or younger say they listen to music over the Internet, and two-thirds (65.4%) say they play Internet games.

“Computers are displacing many household entertainment appliances. Along with VoIP and streaming video, this is just the beginning of a centralization of most communication and entertainment functions in the home into a single appliance,” says Chuck Moran, Manager of Market Research for BURST! Media.

“These trends can and will have an impact on advertising. The new media environment centered around the home (and work) PC, is a boon for advertisers who now not only have expanded opportunities to cross-sell their products and services, but also have the opportunity to cost effectively expand the reach and frequency of their media buys,” says BURST! Media CEO & President Jarvis Coffin.

The Internet Is A News And Information Resource

Four out of five (80.0%) respondents say they use the Internet to find information that will help them at home – information such as health news, recipes, or entertainment listings. This finding is consistent for men and women, as well as all age segments. Significantly, 45.9% of respondents say the Internet is the primary way they gather information that will help them at home – and another 13.9% believe it will be in the future. The BURST! survey also reveals that nearly one-half (47.3%) of respondents use the Internet to gather local, national or international news. Men are significantly more likely than women (50.3% v. 44.3%) to say they use the Internet as a news gathering resource.

The BURST! survey also found that two-thirds (65.2%) of respondents report using the Internet to stay in contact with family and friends. This finding increases significantly among women 55 years and older -with fully three-quarters (77.5%) of this segment reporting they use the Internet to keep in contact with family and friends.

Broadband Versus Dial-Up

There are significant differences in the responses of respondents who connect to the Internet through a broadband connection versus those who use a standard dial-up connection. Broadband respondents are more likely than dial-up respondents to use the Internet to listen to music (58.7% v. 40.2%), to play Internet games (53.4% v. 43.9%), and to watch movies and other video programs (31.7% v. 17.1%).

Taking Away the Home Computer Disrupts the Daily Routine

Four out of five (86%) respondents said their daily routine would be disrupted if their home computer were taken away and not available for one week. Interestingly, 42.1% said their daily routine would be disrupted “significantly.”

For more information at http://www.burstmedia.com