Asia closing digital media divide

 

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By Reuters

Posted on 13 Dec 2008 at 13:49

The global divide between digital haves and have-nots is closing rapidly, with far-reaching implications for the IT and media industries, according to online research carried out by web researcher Nielsen.

The company's Global Online Consumer Survey finds that while Western countries tend to be heavy users of such media hardware as DVD players and gaming consoles, next-generation devices like video-enabled phone handsets are more popular in up-and-coming markets, particularly in Asia, where consumers are skipping entire generations of technology.

The online population of the Philippines, for instance, emerged first among the 52 countries surveyed with the highest levels of usage across a range of devices, and was one of five Asia-Pacific countries in the global top 10.

According to Klaas Hommez, vice president of Nielsen Entertainment, many Asian consumers are leapfrogging technologies, with many internet subscribers skipping landlines in favour of wireless technologies.

"The same leapfrogging is taking place with entertainment," he says. "For example, consumers are circumventing the need for a relatively expensive gaming console by playing subscription-based video games online."

Hommez also says the broad uptake of mobile devices in Asia is due to widespread use of public transport and government policies maximizing roaming broadband access in China and Singapore.

In contrast, Western countries tended to score better on less-mobile offerings such as console video games and DVD players.