Reston, VA, November 15, 2006 - comScore Networks, a leader in measuring the digital age, today released a study which provides insight into the demographic characteristics, interests and media usage habits of online consumers who own digital music players (DMPs), including devices such as MP3 players, iPods (and starting today, Microsoft's new Zune music player).  Based on findings from comScore's new Plan Metrix media planning tool, the study revealed that these tech-savvy consumers, who typically have an above average income, represent an attractive target for consumer electronics advertisers.

 

Digital Music Player (DMP) Owners Profiled

Twenty-seven percent of all Internet users currently own one or more DMPs.  Online DMP owners are slightly more likely to be male (53 percent) and more than one-third (37 percent) are between the ages of 18-34. Moreover, they are nearly twice as likely as the typical Internet user to be enrolled as full-time college students.

 

Thirty-six percent of online DMP owners have an annual household income above $75,000, and they are 66 percent more likely than the average Internet user to have an annual household income above $150,000.  They show a high affinity for online shopping; with 49 percent agreeing that the Internet is the easiest way to shop, and 94 percent reporting they shopped (i.e. researched and/ or purchased) online in the past six months. 

 

 "With the launch of Zune, Microsoft is targeting a highly desirable audience segment," said Jack Flanagan, executive vice president of comScore Media Metrix.  "As Zune gains in popularity, it will be interesting to observe how this segment of DMP owners differs from those who own iPods and other DMPs already in the marketplace."

 

Technocrats Revealed

Technology is an important part of online DMP owners' lives and they have a higher-than-average propensity to own many types of consumer electronics products, including entertainment-related devices.  They are more than twice as likely as the norm to own Web-enabled video game consoles, 80 percent more likely to own a satellite radio system and 57 percent more likely than the norm to own a plasma/ flat screen TV.    

 

Ownership of Consumer Electronics Products, among Online DMP Owners Indexed to U.S. Online Population, Age 18+ Source: comScore Plan Metrix, Summer 2006
Consumer Electronics Owned	Index
Web-enabled video game console	205
PDA	189
Handheld video game	185
Satellite radio system	180
Digital Video recorder (e.g. TiVo)	172
Plasma/Flat screen TV	157
Digital TV/HDTV	149
Home theater system	149
Digital still camera	136
Digital video camera	135

Note: Composition index is the propensity of online DMP Owners to own specific electronics devices, compared to the average Internet user.  An index of 100 represents parity.  An index of 205 should be read as "DMP owners are 105 percent more likely than average to own that particular electronic device."

 

Not surprisingly, the technology-adept online DMP owners are also highly Internet savvy individuals.  These consumers tend to be medium-to-heavy Internet users, with 83 percent going online seven days a week.  They are 58 percent more likely than the average Internet user to be the first among their peers to buy new gadgets, and are 13 percent more likely to have purchased goods and services online in the past six months. 

 

Interactive TV Habits

Notably, comScore's Plan Metrix analysis revealed that online DMP owners are more prone to simultaneous media usage than the average Internet user, and are especially likely to surf the Internet while watching TV.  This group is 50 percent more likely than the average Internet user to visit a related chat room while watching a TV show, and 49 percent more likely to visit a related Web site during a program.  Importantly, DMP owners are 40 percent more likely than the average Internet user to research or browse products featured in a TV show or ad shown within the program, and are 17 percent more likely than the norm to purchase a product featured in a TV show or ad.  

 

Digital Music Player Owner's Online Activity While Watching TV Indexed to U.S. Online Population, Age 18+ Source: comScore Plan Metrix, Summer 2006
Online Activity	Index
Visit a chat room about a TV show watched	150
Visit a Web site about a TV show watched	149
Research/ browse products featured in a TV show or ad	140
Search for TV listings/ show reviews	133
Purchase products featured on TV show or ad	117
Send e-mail/instant message about show watched	112

Note: Composition index is the propensity of a specific segment to visit a site compared to the average Internet user.  An index of 100 represents parity.  An index of 150 should be read as "50 percent more likely than average to conduct the particular online activity while watching TV."

 

Media Habits of Online DMP Owners

While online DMP owners use the Internet while watching TV, they tend to be light TV viewers overall, with 45 percent watching TV less than 19 hours a week.  In comparison, only 38 percent of Internet users watch less than 19 hours of TV programming per week.  Not surprisingly, these avid music fans are not heavy radio listeners, spending less than 14 hours per week listening to the radio.  When it comes to readership of publications, they fit the norm in newspaper readership, but show a partiality for magazines.  In fact, they are 79 percent more likely than the average Internet user to subscribe to 10 or more magazines, with 56 percent subscribing to at least two magazines and one-quarter subscribing to more than four magazines.  Advertisers seeking to target DMP owners through offline vehicles should consider a variety of magazine formats, from entertainment to news.

 

Magazines Read - Past 30 Days, among Online DMP Owners Indexed to U.S. Online Population, Age 18+ Source: comScore Plan Metrix, Summer 2006
Publication	Index
Seventeen	213
The Economist	209
Rolling Stone	208
Fitness	189
Maxim	182
New York Times Magazine	180
YM	177
Men's Health	173
Vanity Fair	171
Forbes	170

Note: Composition index is the propensity of a specific segment to visit a site compared to the average Internet user.  An index of 100 represents parity.  An index of 213 should be read as "113 percent more likely than average to read a particular magazine."

 

About this Research

This analysis was conducted using the recently released Plan Metrix service, comScore's consumer analysis and online media planning tool.  Plan Metrix combines more than 4,100 in-depth lifestyle, product usage and demographic characteristics with comScore's continuously and passively captured behavioral measurement, which spans more than 10,000 online entities.

 

The foundation of the Plan Metrix service is an extensive lifestyle and product usage survey fielded to comScore panelists, which is integrated with the passively observed online behavior at the respondent level.  By using this methodology, Plan Metrix provides granular insight without relying on consumers to recall the complete details of their online browsing behavior.

 

Plan Metrix is delivered as a component of the comScore MyMetrix service.  This integrated approach, consistent with other comScore Media Metrix applications, provides users with the advanced capabilities of the Plan Metrix database while maximizing efficiency and ease of analysis.

 

Plan Metrix is used by leading publishers, adverting agencies and ad networks, including Advertising.com, AOL, AvenueA, Belo Interactive, Burst! Media, Careerbuilder, Clear Channel, Cox Communications, Digitas, GameDaily, Knight-Ridder, Leapfrog Online, Media Contacts, Modem Media, Moxie Interactive, OMD, Starcom IP, Terra, Universal McCann, ValueClick Media and Yahoo!.

 

Note to Readers:

Marketing industry professionals and members of the media may request the complete report by visiting www.comscore.com/digital_music_players.

 

About comScore Media Metrix

comScore Media Metrix, a division of comScore Networks, provides industry-leading Internet audience measurement services that report details of online media usage, visitor demographics and online buying power for the home, work and university audiences across local U.S. markets and across the globe.  comScore Media Metrix continues the tradition of quality and innovation established by its Media Metrix syndicated Internet ratings - long recognized as the currency in online media measurement among financial analysts, advertising agencies, publishers and marketers - while drawing upon comScore's advanced technologies to address important new industry requirements.  All comScore Media Metrix syndicated ratings are based on industry-sanctioned sampling methodologies.

 

About comScore Networks
comScore Networks is a global leader in measuring the digital age. This capability is based on a massive, global cross-section of more than 2 million consumers who have given comScore permission to confidentially capture their browsing and transaction behavior, including online and offline purchasing. comScore panelists also participate in survey research that captures and integrates their attitudes and intentions. Through its proprietary technology, comScore measures what matters across a broad spectrum of behavior and attitudes.  comScore consultants apply this deep knowledge of customers and competitors to help clients design powerful marketing strategies and tactics that deliver superior ROI.  comScore services are used by global leaders such as AOL, Microsoft, Yahoo!, Verizon, Best Buy, The Newspaper Association of America, Tribune Interactive, ESPN, Fox Sports, Nestlé, MBNA, Universal McCann, the United States Postal Service, Merck and Expedia.  For more information, please visit www.comscore.com.

 

Contact:
Andrew Lipsman
comScore Networks
(312) 775-6510
press@comscore.com