Gaming overtakes downloading music and films says Ofcom

Consoles key to the figures


20 August 2010 23:49 GMT / By Stuart Miles

Online gaming is now more popular than downloading music and films when it comes to things to do online, according to a new report out by Ofcom.

According to Ofcom’s recent Communications Market Report 2010, 39 per cent of those surveyed played games online, which was up from 38 per cent last year.

Compare that to downloading music and films and according to the report only 38 per cent to that.

Okay, so we would be the first to note that the difference is just one per cent, however with music and downloads down and online gaming up there is a positive shift in gaming perhaps spawned by our adoption of Facebook games like Farmville.

However what is most interesting, is that the console is starting to play a massive part in being a doorway to the Internet and the content we consume on it.

Ofcom found that nearly 10 per cent used their PS3 or Nintendo Wii to watch programmes on the iPlayer, with most opting for the PS3 to access the Beeb's catch up service - something that is only likely to increase now that they've announced that they will be adding the ITV player to the PS3 soon.

In fact the UK population spends a quarter of its time on the Internet, primarily on social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook, according to the survey.

Away from downloading and gaming, Ofcom believes we cram in 8 hours 48 minutes of media consumption into 7 hours per day.

Full tags
Gaming, PS3, Nintendo Wii, Ofcom, Surveys, Xbox 360

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