16-24 year olds biggest spenders on online audio/video content

Britons spend an average of £3 a month downloading audio and video content online, according to findings from Nielsen//Net Ratings.

Predictably, the 16-24-year-old group are the biggest spenders, averaging £5.34 a month. Men were also found to spend more than the average, up to £43 a year, a total 40% higher than women.

Over half of the amount spent on online content was on audio, with music being named the most popular followed by comedy, books/literature and news.

Nielsen//NetRatings European internet analyst Alex Burmaster credits the popularity of downloading music content opening the doors to other audio content, particularly comedy.

"Music has been the real catalyst in getting people used to consuming and obtaining content online and now other areas are taking advantage of this. Whether it's TV show sketches or podcasts from comedians such as Ricky Gervais, comedy by its very nature, like music, lends itself very much to the online form - short in length but hugely popular in the viral stakes."