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.

One Third Of Americans Do Not Want Internet

Less than one-third of American households have access to the Internet and do not want it, according to recent survey.

Most of these people do not see the Internet as being able to help their lives in any concrete way, the research from technology research firm Park Associates found. Some forty-four percent of households without the Internet said that they were not interested in anything it had to offer, while 22 per cent said they could not afford a computer or the service.

And 17 percent said that they did not have the Internet because they did not know how to use it and three percent said that the Internet did not reach their house. John Barrett, director of research at Parks Associates, said: "The industry continues to chip away at the core of non-subscribers, but has a ways to go. "Entertainment applications will be the key. If anything will pull in the holdouts, it's going to be applications that make the Internet more akin to pay TV."

Meanwhile, new research from the Pew Hispanic Center in the U.S. has found that Hispanics are falling behind other cultural groups in the use of the Internet because their English skills are lacking. A full 56 percent of Hispanics in the US use the Internet, but this figure is well below that of other groups, the rhttp://www2.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifeport from the Pew Hispanic Center and the Pew Internet Project found.

We've identified two groups of people that are resistant to the Internet," states Mark Weibel, EVP of Marketing for Broadband National Inc. who operates the industries leading comparative website. "Hispanic's that don't speak or read English and the elderly that feel computers are too difficult and complicated to use. The industry needs to take greater steps to embrace theses market segments because the growth potential is enormous."

For more information on broadband and other digital related products and services visit www.broadbandnatinal.com

Verizon Business Named Top Service Provider

Verizon Business Named Top Service Provider

Verizon Business has been named the best service provider to big companies and the government by a consulting firm.

Frost & Sullivan awarded Verizon Business its Product Line Strategy Award for enterprise wide area networking (WAN) services. The company was recognized for its ability to introduce new WAN products in a strategic way to compliment the products already in place. Nancy Gofus, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at Verizon Business, said: "Our product set underpins the next-generation services our customers require to do
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"As a global networking and IT leader, we will continue to invest in and lay the right foundation for large businesses and government agencies to communicate and operate reliably and seamlessly around the globe." In rewarding Verizon Business, Frost & Sullivan particularly highlighted the company's 2006 expansion of its Ethernet Virtual Private Line service from the US to six countries in Asia as a crucial improvement of its Enterprise WAN portfolio.

Meanwhile, a jury has ruled that the Internet phone giant Vonage must pay Verizon Wireless $58 million for infringing three patents. The patents were among the technologies that made it possible for Vonage to offer its much-touted low-cost telephone service over the Internet, Verizon contended.

For more information on Verizon Business Products and other broadband services visit www.broadbandnational.com

WildBlue Boosts Broadband With Satellite

For the first time ever, Denver-based satellite broadband company WildBlue has turned on its very own satellite, thereby substantially expanding its capabilities.

The company predominantly provides broadband service to homes and businesses in rural areas of the U.S. that previously used dial-up services. Dubbed WildBlue-1, the new satellite will allow the company to take on new subscribers in coastal states that previously it could not service.

David Leonard, WildBlue's CEO, said: "The launch of WildBlue-1 went extremely well, and we are now utilizing the additional capacity that this new satellite provides. "WildBlue is eager to offer WildBlue's high-speed Internet service to those rural consumers across the United States who have been waiting for an affordable alternative to dial-up."

The company has approximately 130,000 customers and offers broadband for a minimum of $49.95 per month. Currently, HughesNet is the predominant satellite broadband supplier in the US, with 325,000 subscribers, reports the Associated Press.

“Although not as fast as cable, satellite broadband services are far superior to dial-up connections,” states Mark Weibel, EVP of Marketing for Broadband National whose website broadbandnational.com is considered the industry leader for users shopping for broadband and related digital products and services. “Broadband opens the door to other exciting digital products and services.”

For more information on broadband and other related products and services, or to comparative shop for the best possible broadband deal visit www.broadbandnational.com

Slacker.com Makes Internet Radio Mobile

San Diego-based Slacker.com has debuted its own satellite-based radio service, which combines Internet radio, portable music and satellite distribution.

Currently the service is only in the testing stage, but when it is fully functioning could provide over 10,000 stations to users.

And by using the Slacker DJ function, the service also makes it possible for listeners to devise their own stations based on the kind of music they like.

Slacker co-founder and chief executive Dennis Mudd, said: "The only problem is that until now, personalized radio has been stuck on the PC.

"Slacker solves that problem."

Though Slacker is ad-based and therefore free of charge, the company is set to launch a premium service costing $7.50 per month, which will be ad-free and provide more flexibility to users.

In addition, the company is also to release the Slacker Personal Radio Player, which will be Wi-Fi enabled and able to play the user's personal playlists.

“Slacker has a taken a unique approach to the radio business,” states Mark Weibel EVP of Marketing for Broadband National whose website broadbandnational.com is considered the industry leader for users shopping for broadband and related digital products and services. “It’s much like an MP3 player but instead of play lists of songs Slacker.com offers customized radio stations.”

For information on broadband and other digital products and services visit www.broadbandnational.com

U.S. Hispanics Avoiding Internet

Hispanics in the U.S. are falling behind other cultural groups on using the Internet because their English skills are lacking, according to a recent report.

A full 56 percent of Hispanics in the U.S. use the Internet, but this figure is well below that of other groups, the report from the Pew Hispanic Center and the Pew Internet Project found. By contrast, 60 percent of black people in the US reported being on the Internet and 71 percent of white people said they regularly used it.

Susannah Fox, one of the co-authors of the report, said: "For many people living in the U.S., the Internet is the go-to source for information and for staying in touch with friends and family. "We find that significant portions of the population are cut off from online resources." The study also found that while 32 per cent of adults who only speak Spanish use the Internet, 76 percent of those who are bi-lingual use it regularly.

"This is precisely why we created our Spanish language website 'comprabroadband.com," states Mark Weibel, EVP of Marketing for Broadband National whose website broadbandnational.com is considered the industry leader for users shopping for broadband and related digital products and services. "There's a void that we're filling," states Vinny Olmstead CEO of Broadband National. "Our providers haven't been moving fast enough to address the market pressures so we saw and opportunity for us."

For information on broadband and other digital products and services visit www.broadbandnational.com or www.comprabroadband.com

Internet Advertising Not Enough For News Sources

News organizations in the U.S. are facing a worsening financial struggle as they look for alternative sources of revenue.

A new study from the Project for Excellence in Journalism, dubbed State of the News Media 2007 has found that the Internet has not garnered new sources for revenue as they had hoped. Internet advertising especially has not lived up to the high hopes that news organizations, especially newspapers, have held for it.

"The hope that Internet advertising will someday match what print and television now bring in appears to be vanishing," the study stated. Charging web users to access news is one possibility that could garner the extra income needed, the study suggests.

In the last few years, newspaper stocks have been steadily declining as consumers turn to other outlets to get their news. Newspaper analyst John Morton told Reuters that newspapers must invest more heavily in new technology and devising ways for it to pay off.

"What we have discovered is that newspapers have moved quicker than broadcast TV stations in adapting to the online video advertising marketplace," states Mark Weibel EVP of Marketing for Broadband National, who operates the industries leading comparative shopping website. "Estimates are that the local online video advertising marketplace will reach $371 million this year or about 5% of total online ad spending. And that traditional media, especially newspapers are playing a significant role."

For more information on broadband Internet access as well as other digital products and services visit www.broadbandnational.com

Joost To Offer JumpTV Programs

New Internet television outfit Joost has announced that it has forged a deal to offer content from JumpTV over the Internet.

Under the agreement, Joost will be able to offer Spanish-language programming from Chile, Peru and Colombia, in addition to Arabic-language shows. JumpTV is the world's most prolific broadcaster of ethnic television over the Internet and its content library features programming in Spanish, Arabic, Romanian, Turkish, Russian and Bengali.

Kaleil Isaza Tuzman, president and chief executive officer at JumpTV International, said: "We see Joost as a unique and important distribution/programming partner. Like us, the Joost team innately understands the power of viral, high-affinity long-tail content - for example, JumpTV's ethnic TV programming. Because of the high success rate of its founders Joost could completely transform online television, added Mr. Tuzman. Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis, the duo behind the highly successful Internet phone company Skype, founded Joost.

"The target audience would be expatriates and ethnic audiences interested in watching TV from their homelands," states Mark Weibel EVP of Marketing for Broadband National, who operates the industries leading comparative shopping website. "The news that online TV platform Joost will be adding more programs to its growing inventory of TV shows with international YV program distributor JumpTV has surely had the media buzzing with speculation of its growing threat to YouTube."

For more information on broadband Internet access as well as other digital products and services visit www.broadbandnational.com

Spiketv.com Debuts Eight New Broadband Series

The popular Spiketv.com has announced that it is to launch eight new TV series via broadband.

Freestyle motocross, sexy bartenders, beautiful co-eds/cheerleaders, demolition and stick fighting are some of the programs that will be made available. Furthermore, Spiketv.com will also continue to operate its user-generated content hub along with its Wild World of Spike show.

Steve Farrell, vice-president of digital media at SpikeTV.com, said: "Spiketv.com is the destination for guys looking to feast on non-stop action and beautiful women.

"Our new broadband original series will satisfy their hunger for this genre of programming and keep them coming back for more." Among the new series will be Miss March Madness, a contest in anticipation of the NCAA tournament, where cheerleaders and co-eds from colleges across the country compete to be dubbed the most attractive.

A program currently running on Spike TV is Reality Racing – The Rookie Challenge, which features amateur drivers in stock racing cars.

"SpikeTV.com is one of the first to truly embrace the concept of IPTV," states Mark Weibel, EVP of Marketing for Broadband National, creators of the industries leading comparative shopping website. " Their male oriented content is not only original but the production value is also outstanding."

For more information on IPTV and broadband connectivity for your home or office visit www.broadbandnational.com