Most People use Two Media Simultaneously at least some of the Time

More than 70% of consumers, at one time or another, use media simultaneously, according to a new survey. The Media Center and BIGresearch have produced the Simultaneous Media Usage Survey based on consulting 13,414 people in October 2003, which shows what combination of media people enjoy using together. Key findings include:
* Going online is the top simultaneous medium for radio listeners.
* Newspapers are the best companion for television watchers.
* Simultaneous usage continues to grow.

Radio
When listening, 57.3% simultaneously go online, 46.9% read newspapers and 17.7% watch TV. 51.2% of radio listening multitaskers say they pay more attention to one medium than the other.

TV
74.2% of people who watch TV regularly or occasionally read the newspaper. 66.2% say they go online and that documentaries are the preferred TV programming for those who watch TV and go online simultaneously. Documentaries lend themselves to listening, a popular choice for the simultaneous media using TV watchers. Movies are the preferred programming for people who read newspapers and also watch TV (64.3%) followed by police detective shows (56%) and sitcoms (51.5%.) Young people are watching less Tv altogether: 18-24 year olds (down 8.8%) and 25-34 year olds (down 12.2%), seeing an equivalent rise in video game playing.

Newspaper
Listening activities seem most agreeable to newspaper readers: 52.4% say they watch TV and 49.6% say they listen to the radio when reading the newspaper. More women (52.4%) than men (49.6%) prefer reading the newspaper and listening to the radio simultaneously.

Online
While waiting for pages to download, 52.1% say they simultaneously listen to the radio, while 61.8% say they watch TV and 20.2% are reading the newspaper.

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