Internet News

More and more members of the British public are hooking up to the internet according to the latest statistics. Apparently a massive 73 per cent of British households now boast an internet connection, which is testament to the importance of the internet as a resource for information, communication and entertainment.

The Office for National Statistics is behind the latest figures to be published and it states that 19.2 million UK homes are now online. A similar study last year clocked the figure at 18.3 million so the latest results indicate a steady increase.

According to the results, more than 30 million adults use the internet every day for various purposes, including shopping, conducting research, social networking and reading and sending emails. However, 9.2 million adults are still completely unfamiliar with the internet, with most in this bracket aged 65 and above.

Mark Williams of the ONS emphasised the role of mobile connectivity in the results of the study, explaining:

We have also seen changes in the way people connect and in the frequency of connection, with 31 per cent of Internet users connecting via a mobile phone in 2010 compared to 23 per cent in 2009. The use of Wi-Fi hotspots continued to rise with 2.7 million people using wireless hotspots at locations such as cafes, restaurants, and hotels.

It seems that people in the UK are cramming in more media than there are hours in the day. There are, on average, just over seven hours of media consumption in the average person’s day, but an Ofcom study says we are squeezing in more by multitasking.

The reasons for this are the spread of mobile computing, in the form of mobile phones and laptops. Ofcom’s strategy and market developments partner, Peter Phillips, said:

“The ability of people to surf the web on their laptop while also watching TV has given people a licence to roam while staying connected.”

The study found that 16-24 year-olds generally took in more media than other age groups, fitting nine and a half hours of media into six and a half hours, which is perhaps not all that surprising.

Similarly, over 55s were the most keen TV viewers and radio listeners with those two sources making up two-thirds of the media they are exposed to. In comparison, 16-24 year-olds used computers, mobiles and related technology for 58 per cent of their media intake.

It has been announced that ITV Player, the channel’s TV on-demand service, will be appearing on the PS3 before the end of the year. The PS3 already features the BBC equivalent, the iPlayer, but the ITV Player will be the first commercial service on offer.

ITV say that they are attempting to spread the ITV Player as part of their strategy, offering it in a number of places beyond their own website. It should be appearing on other games consoles eventually and will be launching on Freesat later this year.

ITV’s managing director of commercial and online, Fru Hazlitt, said:

“Our viewers want the option to watch their favourite content when and where they choose, so distributing the ITV Player, with our rich content, to platforms beyond itv.com will allow us to meet that demand.”

Launched in 2007, ITV Player provided 200m plays last year. Access to the service on the PS3 will be free of charge, funded instead through advertising. A software update will bring the service to users, adding an icon to the TV section of the menu.

The New York Times is reporting that video site Hulu could float on the stock exchange as early as this autumn and says that following investment, it could be worth as much as $2bn.

Hulu is a joint venture involving News Corporation, Disney and NBC and was envisioned as being a response to the piracy seen on sites such as YouTube. The site is geared towards the US market and is currently only available there. The UK market has been explored, but it is thought that the scope of the BBC iPlayer may be a deterrent.

Hulu is reported to have made revenue of around $100m in 2009, albeit with small profits, particularly given the site’s popularity. The site is said to have received 24m unique visitors in June.

By contrast, YouTube received 144.5m unique visitors in June, but yet featured only half the ads shown by Hulu. Hulu is also soon to add a subscription service, Hulu Plus, that will be $10 a month.

Apple’s iAds network has got off to something of a slow start, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Of the 17 launch partners who were announced on the 1st July, only two started iAds campaigns during that month. Three more have since started campaigns this month, but one partner, Chanel, doesn’t even have a campaign planned.

It seems that one of the major problems may be the involvement of Apple itself. The creation of mobile ads is said to be taking between eight and ten weeks and a major part of this time is taken by Apple who are responsible for building the ads.

A campaign package costs a minimum of $1m. One advertiser that is already up and running, Nissan, says that its click-through rate is five times higher than would normally be expected, although this is early days and users are not yet familiar with iAds which may become the case over time.

Despite the slow start, Apple says it has $60m worth of advertising commitments and is therefore making a firm foundation in the mobile advertising market – something that is expected to grow enormously in the coming years.