Buying digital content online has become nearly as popular as general e-commerce, the Pew Internet & American Life Project reports, with some 65 percent of Internet users surveyed saying they bought digital content online. About 66 percent say they engage in general e-commerce.
Pew reported 16 percent of those surveyed said they had bought movies, videos or TV shows, compared to 33 percent who said they had purchased music and 18 percent who said they had paid for digital newspaper, magazine, or journal articles or reports. Although the 16 percent figure is relatively small, it's still likely to be good news for content providers who have worried about Americans' willingness to pay for online content.
Overall, the study said, the majority of the Internet users pay for subscription services (23 percent), versus downloading an individual file (16 percent), or accessing streaming content (8 percent).
Typical users, said the report, spend about $10 a month for digital content, although some high-end users pay up to $47 for content, which includes subscriptions or downloads/access to individual files.
The report surveys 775 Internet users between Oct. 28 and Nov. 1.
For more:
- see the report
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