Internet more popular than TV - 25.02.2010

Mediascope Europe revealed that people living in Spain spend an average of 13.6 hours a week surfing the net for leisure, rather than work, purposes.

Spain falls into fifth place behind the Danes, at 14.6 hours; the UK, with 14.4 hours a week spent on-line; and the Norwegians and Portuguese at 14.1 hours per week.

 

The study was carried out to help providers of multimedia technology to market their products.

 

Around 20 million people in Spain use the internet on a computer, compared to 2.3 million who do so via their mobile telephones.

 

But the latter figure is expected to rise in the near future.

 

Men spend more time on line than women, accounting for 11 million compared to nine million of their female counterparts.

 

The internet seems to be more popular the younger the user is – the 16-24 age-group use it the most, followed by those aged 25-34, with the over-55s at the bottom of the list.

 

Spanish residents watch the TV for an average 13 hours a week, and spend 12.6 hours listening to music, 4.6 hours reading the newspaper and 3.6 reading magazines.

 

The over-55s watch the most TV, followed by the 16-24 age-group, but television viewing figures have fallen amongst those aged from 25-34, who now spend more time on the internet.

 

Despite being a late starter, broadband-based internet is now in 90 per cent of Spanish households rather than the old dial-up method.

 

A total of 57 per cent use a wireless connection, compared to 72 per cent in the UK.

 

Whilst 90 per cent use the internet at home, only five per cent use internet cafés, suggesting that these are mainly a last resort when there are connection or computer problems at home, or used by travellers wanting to touch base with home.