New Report Shows Simultaneous Viewing of Television and Internet Highest Among Females

Women Outpace Men as Media Multi-Taskers

SAN MATEO, CA--(MARKET WIRE)--Jan 12, 2009 -- While men may claim to be the masters of technology, it is the women who are embracing the new age of media and integrating their computers and the Internet into their television viewing.

According to data released today by Integrated Media Measurement Inc. (IMMI), a leading provider of consumer behavior and audience exposure data to media companies and advertisers, usage of television and an Internet-connected computer at the same time averaged 17.5 minutes per day among females 15-48 and 15.7 minutes per day among males in the same age group.

The highest simultaneous television/Internet usage was among females 30-39, at 23.3 minutes per day, more than double that of males in the same age group at 10.6 minutes. The data also shows that simultaneous usage of men starts strong and decreases as they approach their 40s, with women showing the opposite profile, which corresponds to the heavy-duty child rearing years.

 
Age      Men             Women
-----    ------------    ------------
15-18    21.6 minutes    9.5 minutes
19-29    15.9            17.1
30-39    10.6            23.3
40-48    16.6            15.9

"Considering the amount of sports-related programming that connects the Web to television, it was surprising to see the highest simultaneous usage was among adult women," said Amanda Welsh, head of research for IMMI. "Our interpretation of this is that women are more inclined to multi-task than men, particularly when in the home balancing their personal and professional lives. This is entirely consistent with studies of online television consumption previously conducted by IMMI."

The study was implemented through a special research panel built by IMMI to capture Internet as well as television and radio consumption. IMMI provides panel members with a mobile phone, asking them to carry it with them wherever they go. The mobile phone is equipped with a technology that creates digital signatures of all the audio media (television, radio and movies) to which it has been exposed. IMMI can determine viewing audiences, as well as certain types of consumer behavior based on a timeline of when the media was viewed or heard.

Integrated Media Measurement Inc. (IMMI) is the developer of an end-to-end media measurement system that links media exposure to consumer action. Using a mobile-phone-based digital monitoring system, IMMI tracks almost all media 24/7 and helps businesses evaluate the effectiveness of their advertising campaigns. IMMI is based in San Mateo, Calif. More information is available at http://www.immi.com.

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