COPENHAGEN, August 5, 2002 - According to a recent study by IDC, the corporate sector emerged as the early adopter of the use of digital content, despite the initial promise of the consumer sector. It remains, however, a fairly immature market in Europe with just 13% of corporations claiming to be using streaming today.
"Internal communications is by far the most cited use among European companies with product launches showing considerable traction within two years," said Daniel O'Boyle Kelly, Research Director of IDC's European Internet research. "Ultimately, the streaming opportunity could displace company investment in traditional methods of corporate communications and replace it with spending on streaming infrastructure and services."
IDC believes streaming media will be especially strong in facilitating enterprise training, despite only a modest implementation today. "Training employees and sales teams in different geographic regions is more efficient with streaming technology," said O'Boyle Kelly. "Moreover, on-demand streaming has the added benefit in that it allows recorded presentations to be replayed by anyone unable to attend."
On the consumer front, online media consumption, of which streaming will become a major component, can be divided by audio and video usage. Audio streaming dominates with an average of over one third of European Internet users listening to music over the Web. Demographically, it is dominated by the young and male sector to a greater degree than the typical Internet user profile. "Pockets of lucrative segments do exist, particularly when examined at the country level detail," added O'Boyle Kelly. "Somewhat surprising is the fact that the southern European countries, especially Spain, show signs of considerable streaming adoption among its Internet population."
Further Findings
· In addition to the 13% of companies currently using streaming, 6% plan to
invest in streaming by the end of the year and a further 16% after this timeframe.
· On average, over one in three Internet users has listened to music over the
Web.
· 60% of audio streamers are under 35 and approximately the same percentage
are male.
· Close to 40% of Internet users claim to have downloaded music.
IDC's study, Full Stream Ahead: Streaming Media Usage in Western Europe (IDC #I30J), breaks down streaming use in Europe by vertical market and company size, and contains information on what companies currently use, and plan to use, streaming for. The study also contains data on media and music downloads across Europe. This study is available to purchase from your local IDC office.
About IDC
IDC is the foremost global market intelligence and advisory firm helping clients gain insight into technology and ebusiness trends to develop sound business strategies. Using a combination of rigorous primary research, in-depth analysis, and client interaction, IDC forecasts worldwide markets and trends to deliver dependable service and client advice. More than 700 analysts in 43 countries provide global research with local content. IDC's customers comprise the world's leading IT suppliers, IT organizations, ebusiness companies, and the financial community. Additional information can be found at www.idc.com.
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For more information, contact:
Daniel O'Boyle Kelly
+45 39 16 22 45
doboylekelly@idc.com
Explore new economic landscapes, technology solutions, and strategies for IT investments at IDC's European IT Forum.
Date: September 16-17, 2002
Location: Grimaldi Forum, Monaco
For more information, visit http://www.idc.com/itforum02.