Broadband users spend half of free time surfing the net

People who have broadband end up spending almost half their free time surfing the internet, according to recent research.

During the week, users with high-speed internet spend approximately 48 percent of their free time on the net, a survey from Media-Screen shows. And 48 percent of young users of the broadband go on the internet to find out information about the entertainment sector, compared to 25 percent who rely on TV, the survey discovered.

Josh Crandall, managing director of Media-Screen, said: "Many broadband consumers go online for entertainment and to talk about entertainment with other fans. "Marketers need to leverage that interest and focus on catalysing a conversation now, instead of just talking to their fans via traditional advertising channels."

Of the time spent on the internet 27 percent is spent communicating with others, while 12 percent is spent shopping and nine percent searching for news or information. Meanwhile, a fake version of the next book in the popular Harry Potter series has hit the internet and fooled thousands of readers.

With a length of 250,000 words, the fake version of the book is similar enough to the real books that it took in legions of fans of the teenage wizard.