PRNewswire: With Writers' Strike Side-Lining Shows, 50 Percent in New Poll Say They Are Turning to the Web

AUSTIN, Texas, Dec. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- With the television and film writers' strike showing no signs of letting up, Americans may be signaling a realignment of their entertainment viewing habits. In a poll released today by the Wi-Fi Alliance and Kelton Research, 50 percent of those surveyed report that, since the strike, they are either going online more often for entertainment or plan to do so.

On average, respondents stated that they now get 31 percent of their entertainment online, doing activities such as playing video games, listening to music, and watching movies or short videos. The survey polled U.S. Wi- Fi(R) users aged 18 - 55.

"The Wi-Fi users sampled in this poll provide a glimpse into the way consumers increasingly access news, information and entertainment," said Karen Hanley, senior director of the Wi-Fi Alliance, the global trade organization representing the Wi-Fi industry. "There are about 350 million Wi-Fi users worldwide, and that number continues to grow as Wi-Fi makes access even more convenient. Wi-Fi is a key technology in laptops, cell phones, game devices, MP3 players, printers, cameras and others."

Sixty-eight percent of those surveyed put Wi-Fi above YouTube(R), MySpace(R), Facebook(R) and iTunes(R) as the single technology having the most significant impact on their internet experience. Only Google scored higher, at 74 percent.

Among the other findings in the survey:

  --  Wi-Fi is a key item on people's holiday wish lists.  As consumers look
      to electronic toys for giving and receiving, 57 percent will look for
      Wi-Fi in a cellular phone, 30 percent will seek it in a music player,
      and 29 percent hope their gaming devices and digital cameras have it.

  --  During the holiday season, users will rely on Wi-Fi to stay in touch
      with friends and family while traveling (55 percent), work remotely to
      maximize family time (52 percent), and choose hotel accommodations (55
      percent).

  --  Wi-Fi users have a special "sweet spot" for the technology, with 7 out
      of 10 saying they would give up chocolate before giving up Wi-Fi.

The poll, which fielded November 19 - 27 2007, surveyed 586 U.S. Wi-Fi users ages 18 - 55. The sampling variation in this survey is plus or minus 4.1 percentage points.

The Wi-Fi Alliance, which coined the term Wi-Fi, provides testing and certification programs to help deliver the best user experience with Wi-Fi technology. Holiday shoppers can find a comprehensive list of Wi-Fi CERTIFIED(TM) products and detailed information about next-generation 802.11n draft 2.0 at http://www.wi-fi.org/.

Source: PRNewswire

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