Interpret Finds Little Correlation Between Filesharing and Cutting Back on Spending

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Aug. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Interpret, a leading entertainment, media and technology market research firm, today released its interpretation report "Despite Industry Fears, Consumer Spending Cuts Do Not Impact Piracy" based on data from its quarterly New Media Measure™ study. The report found very little correlation between consumers cutting back on spending and their likelihood to engage in filesharing activities.  

The study examined the relationship between cutting back on spending due to the economy and likelihood to download files from unlicensed sources, and found virtually no correlation.  Consumers who have cut back spending "a lot" are less likely than the average consumer to engage with physical media (DVDs, CDs, etc) and much more likely to interact with digital media via streaming and downloading.  Among filesharers, music accounts for most of the activity, with 86 percent of filesharers having downloaded music from an unlicensed source, compared to only 31 percent each for TV and movies.

"The good news for content creators and providers is that the struggling economy does not appear to have increased filesharing," said Michael Dowling, CEO of Interpret LLC. "While filesharing is still a legitimate concern, there are several mitigating steps the industry can take to actually enhance its opportunity with consumers."

New Media Measure™ is Interpret LLC's (www.interpretllc.com) proprietary, quarterly survey of media behaviors, attitudes and product consumption. Designed to keep pace with the evolving media landscape, New Media Measure™ supplies the means to better measure and keep track of fast-changing consumer behaviors. New Media Measure™ surveys 9,000 consumers aged 12-65, representative of the U.S. population and weighted to U.S. Census. Data collected includes: demographics, psychographics, brand consumption, traditional media consumption, online and social networking, mobile phone, video gaming, and digital entertainment. Data is available via Interface, a web-accessible, interactive analysis tool, through Intrend, quarterly trend reports, and through Interpretations, monthly whitepapers from Interpret analysts. www.interpretllc.com/new-media-measure.php.

About Interpret LLC

Interpret LLC is a leading entertainment, media and technology market research firm that applies proprietary, cutting edge methodologies and extensive category knowledge to help companies plan, test, and measure their business strategies. www.interpretllc.com

SOURCE Interpret LLC