New Technology Reviews!.: spend

Most internet users spend under £7 a month on content

<div align="center"><img src="http://img638.imageshack.us/img638/8568/pew20internet20research.jpg" /></div>A new report detailing US consumers online buying habits indicates that, whilst the markets for downloading apps, music, games and other content is growing, most consumers spend less than $10 (£6.46) a month on downloads. 
Reassuringly, for businesses selling content online, 65 per cent of US consumers regularly pay to access or download content online. It's just a shame that they don't pay more! 
Pew Research report 
The Pew Research Center report, released Thursday this week, confirms that the typical user pays between $1 to $10 per month for downloads or online streaming services 
Nearly half of those in the survey pay for either smartphone apps or music downloads. 
18 per cent pay for a digital newspaper or magazine, although only 11 per cent had paid for premium content when they were able to access a paper or magazine's website for free. 
10 per cent of those in the survey had paid to download e-books, while only 2 per cent admitted to having paid for online porn. 
A minority of heavy downloaders means that the average monthly payment for online content is $47 (£30.37) 
 
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Most internet users spend under £7 a month on content

A new report detailing US consumers online buying habits indicates that, whilst the markets for downloading apps, music, games and other co...

Games console spend plummets but social gaming on the up

<img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//Review%20images/PC%20Plus/PCP%20301/PCP301.makefeat.opener-200-200.jpg"> A study into UK gaming has suggested that the amount that we have spent on console games in 2010 has fallen significantly, but that we are forking out more for MMOs and games on social networks. Newzoo's Total Consumer Spend 2010 Report suggests that the economic climate has left us spending three per cent less in total on gaming. However, that figure includes a whopping 25 per cent less money being spent on consoles, and it is our MMO subscriptions that have made up much of the shortfall. Euro-zone up In Europe, gaming saw a significant increase – with the German market up 33 per cent and France up 13 per cent. "There has been a drop of more than 25% in total spend on console games - which still accounts for almost half of all money spent on games," states Newzoo's report. "But this has been almost completely compensated for by growth across all online and mobile game platforms, ranging from 27% for MMOs to 66% for games played on social networks. "Other key European markets show even larger growth in money spent on online business models, pushing the total spend up with 13% in France and 33% in Germany resulting in market sizes of €4.0bn Euro and €4.9bn Euro respectively. Pay to upgrade The report suggests that the most important trend has been people's willingness to use free-to-play games but then upgrade to putting some cash in – either for an enhanced experience or to buy in-game goods. Peter Warman, MD of Newzoo adds: "Our data shows consumers are not simply moving away from console games, but spreading their budget across more platforms. "Their choice of game genre and platform depends on time, place, social setting and the need they are seeking to satisfy at that moment. "There is no longer such thing as a typical casual or core gamer, as on average, consumers play games on more than 3.5 platforms and more than 85% of all gamers spends time on casual game platforms. "Games are clearly becoming a more integrated part of people's lives and social activities. The current variety of platforms and game genres combined with the low entry barrier of free-to-play business models will ensure further growth in western countries as well as in emerging markets such as Brazil and Russia."

Games console spend plummets but social gaming on the up

A study into UK gaming has suggested that the amount that we have spent on console games in 2010 has fallen significantly, but that we are ...

Xbox 360 owners spend more time gaming than PS3 or Wii users

<img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//classifications/home-entertainment/gaming/consoles/images/big-three-consoles-200-200.jpg"> A new Nielsen study claims that Xbox 360 owners spend proportionally more of their time using their console to play games when compared with PS3 and Wii owners. In news which is sure to kick off console fanboy bickering across the internet, Nielsen's new poll claims thatan average of 28 per cent of Xbox 360 usage was spent online gaming, compared with 19 per cent on PlayStation 3 and only 12 per cent on the Wii. <img alt="CH" src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/classifications/home-entertainment/gaming/images/console%20habits_preview_barchart.jpg.jpg" width="420"></IMG> Gaming, TV, movies Xbox Live is clearly one of the major reasons why many hardcore gamers choose the Xbox 360 over competing consoles. "Compared to the other two consoles, the bulk of time on the Wii is in the form of offline gaming," states Nielsen's research. "The system trails in use for online play. This may reflect the lesser emphasis on online applications and gameplay for the Wii in general. "The PlayStation 3 stands out for its use as a DVD/Blu-Ray player as well as a gaming console," Nielsen added. Traditional offline gaming Nintendo's Wii has the highest proportional usage for streaming services such as US service Netflix or BBC iPlayer which claimed 20 per cent of all console usage time, whereas Xbox 360 owners only spend 10 per cent of their time on such services and PlayStation 3 users only 9 per cent of their time. "In terms of streaming, Netflix was introduced this year for the Wii, but its lead in share is likely a function of the fewer hours per user that is being divided up... overall, the Wii is most defined by its use for traditional offline gaming." The PlayStation 3 was easily on top when it comes to watching DVDs and Blu-Rays – the latter being a fairly obvious result, seeing as it is the only one of the three main consoles that has an in-built Blu-ray player. The average PS3 user spends 27 per cent of their time on movies and TV shows, with the average Xbox 360 user spending 11 per cent of their time watching DVDs.

Xbox 360 owners spend more time gaming than PS3 or Wii users

A new Nielsen study claims that Xbox 360 owners spend proportionally more of their time using their console to play games when compared with...