Third of youth market ‘won’t pay for online content’
- Added:
- Aug 07, 2009
One third of Europeans aged 16 to 24 have no intention of paying for online content such as video and music - more than twice the average for the EU as a whole, according to a new survey.
The findings are part of The European Commission's Digital Competitiveness report, which looked at the habits of European web users.
The survey found that only 4.8 percent of the 16-24 age bracket have bought audiovisual content in the past three months. 9.8 percent of all Europeans have done so.
More than 20 percent of all respondents admitted better quality content, lower prices and more choice would encourage them to pay for content.
Nearly half (48.8 percent) of all respondents said nothing would change their minds and convince them to pay.
Just 15 percent said more convenient payments systems were a factor in them not paying.
Viviane Reding, EU Commissioner for Information Society and Media, said: "We should seize the opportunity of a new generation of Europeans who will soon be calling the shots in the European market place. These young people are intensive internet users and are also highly demanding consumers. To release the economic potential of these 'digital natives', we must make access to digital content an easy and fair game."
The report also found that 56% of Europeans now regularly use the internet, 80% of them via a high-speed connection (compared to only one third in 2004), making Europe the world leader in broadband internet.
Europe is the world's first truly mobile continent with more mobile subscribers than citizens (a take up rate of 119%).
56% of Europeans had become regular internet users, a leap of one third since 2004. Half of households and more than 80% of businesses now have a broadband connection.
People aged 16 to 24 are the most active internet users: 73% of them regularly use advanced services to create and share online content, twice the EU population average (35%) (see annex). 66% of all Europeans under 24 use the internet every day, compared to the EU average of 43%. They also have more advanced internet skills than the rest of the population, according to a Commission study on digital literacy, also released today.
Although the "digital generation" seems reluctant to pay to download or view online content like videos or music (33% say that they are not willing to pay anything at all, which is twice the EU average), in reality twice as many of them have paid for these services compared to the rest of the population (10% of young users, compared to an EU average of 5%).
To read the full report click here.
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