According to PricewaterhouseCoopers' Global Entertainment and Media Outlook, Internet advertising and access by U.S. consumers will continue to grow in the double digits through 2011. The major drivers of that growth will be social networking, entertainment sites and high-speed connections which will be needed to get the full value out of them.
By 2011, the report says that U.S. consumers will spend about $78.4 billion on the combined Internet access fees and Web advertising. That's in contrast to the $47.2 billion paid out in 2006. That will end up averaging about 10.7 percent average annual growth.
For consumer Internet access fees, they'll grow at an annual rate of 7.1 percent to reach $43 billion by 2011.
For Broadband subscribers, they will increase to 89 million, growing at an annual 12.2 percent rate.
China will overtake the U.S. in Internet users by 2009, the report also projects.
"We expect that China will accelerate in use of the Internet from where they are today -- in sheer numbers (of users) they are incredible," said Joseph Rizzo, U.S. Advisory Technology Sector Leader for PwC.
Comment Preview