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February 22, 2007updated 17 May 2007 11:30am

‘Old’ media resilient as young turn to web

By Press Gazette

Television and newspapers remain the primary sources of news in the UK, but they are losing ground to the internet among audiences under 25, according to a new survey.

Of the 1,010 people questioned in the UK by professional services firm KPMG International, 52 per cent cited television as their primary news source, followed by newspapers with 24 per cent.

Another 15 per cent named radio as their preferred news source. Just 8 per cent of UK respondents named the Internet as their preferred source of news.

However, the report also reveals significant discrepancies in media consumption between age groups.

Those between 18 and 25 have the lowest television news consumption, with 44 per cent naming television as a source of news.

The internet has also eclipsed newspapers as the preferred means of getting news in this age bracket.

Among this group, which the report refers to a "Generation Y", 26 per cent said the internet was their first means of getting news, compared with 21 per cent using newspapers.

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The preference for internet news drops off rapidly among older audiences, with just 18 per cent of 25- to 34 year olds and 7 per cent of 35-44 year-olds naming the web as their first source of news.

Sean Collins, global head of KPMG's media and telecoms practice, said: "While traditional media remains popular across the age groups, Generation Y is increasingly looking to the internet as a source of news and social interaction.

"Media companies wishing to stay competitive need to consider experimenting with new business models, along side their existing ones. This is already beginning to happen, with a number of large newspaper groups recently investing millions in new media technologies, in an attempt to capture this growing market for alternative media consumption."

The survey also revealed large discrepancies between in the way people use internet to get news in the five countries surveyed.

Use of internet news sites was significantly higher across all age groups in Spain than in the UK, the US, Germany and the Netherlands.

Around 70 per cent of Spanish respondents under 25, and 60 per cent of Spaniards 25-35, said they get their news from the web.

In all four European countries, internet use for news dropped with age. By contrast, US preference for the internet as a news source peaks among 35- to 54-year-olds.

 

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