US digital media use overtakes television

The amount of time people in the US spend on digital media has surpassed the amount of time they spend watching television this year for the first time, a tipping point in the rapidly changing media landscape.

The average adult spends five hours and nine minutes a day online or with other digital media, compared with four hours and 31 minutes watching TV, according to research from eMarketer.

Daily time spent watching TV fell seven minutes from 2012 to 2013, while the amount of time people spent in front of digital screens surged 16 per cent, or by almost half an hour.

Mobile use
Mobile has fast become the dominant digital media device. In the US, people spend more time on their mobile devices for non-talking activities, such as surfing the web, than they do online on desktop and laptop computers.

The amount of time people spent on mobile phones increased by almost an hour, to two hours and 21 minutes this year from one hour and 33 minutes in 2012, according to eMarketer. The numbers include all the time a person spends with a medium, even if they are multitasking.

The shift in consumer behaviour is shaking up the foundations of the technology, media and marketing businesses. Google reported a larger-than-expected drop in advertising rates during the most recent quarter because of pressure from mobile, where advertising rates typically are cheaper. Facebook shares have soared after the company last week reported better-than-expected mobile advertising revenue.

Earlier this week, Publicis and Omnicom announced a $35 billion (€26.5 billion) tie-up, creating the world's largest advertising services group. – (Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2013)