Abstract
Overview
IDATE and Mediametrie/NetRatings have joined forces to conduct the first
ever report of this scale on current usage of legal and unauthorised
downloading applications in the United States, France and the UK.
That a substantial number of broadband subscribers use P2P applications
regularly is a well-entrenched reality on the web.
As measured by IDATE and Mediametrie/NetRatings, at the end of 2005 the
percentage totals 38% for France, 16% for the UK and 10% for the Unites States.
Given the scope of this phenomenon, there is a vital need to provide the
sector' s players with precise and reliable data that enables a proper analysis
of Peer-to-Peer application users, the way that these applications are being
utilised, and how the trend is likely to develop in the coming years.
This report has four main objectives:
- First to gain a comprehensive view of the current state of digital
entertainment, music, video and video game downloads on the internet, taking
account of both legal and unauthorised downloads enabled by P2P software, with
particular focus on usage in terms of what content is being downloaded and
which applications are being used.
- Second, we will take a close-up look at the P2P phenomenon, allowing us to
identify the most widely-used software and networks, and to understand why
some are more popular than others. Beyond that, the goal will be to provide a
detailed analysis of P2P usage: who is downloading what? How is the phenomenon
evolving? What impact is it having on traditional markets? Is it possible to
convert a portion of traffic to economically viable usage? How?
- The third goal is to provide a more general measurement of the extent to
which web users are switching to digitised content. The approach here will be
quantitative, translating observed usage into market potential and evolution
over time.
- The fourth and final objective will be to establish growth scenarios up to
2010, to lay out the various development prospects for content distribution,
taking account of the types of devices and the different media used.
Key questions
- What percentage of households has switched to acquiring their content
digitally?
- What portion of their budget is devoted to acquiring digital content?
- What are the different ways of acquiring content on the web?
- Which legal services are the most popular with web users?
- What volume of unauthorised downloads?
- What use is made of Peer-to-Peer software and networks?
- What type and volume of content is being downloaded in Peer-to-Peer mode?
- How much is the digital content distribution market worth?
Methodology
- Real time tracking: analysis of internet usage data, gathered in
real time by the NetMeter application, based on MegaPanel: a sample group of
over 100,000 internet households in the United States, 20,000 in France and
20,000 in the UK.
- Exclusive survey: online survey of 400 web users in each country,
aimed at pinpointing users' motives: web user profile, type of downloads
performed, intentions to use P2P applications, type of devices used...
- Comparison of the survey results with sector-specific analyses from
market specialists: internet, music, video, TV, video games, telecom...
- Market estimates and demand forecast, with comprehensive perspective
supplied by IDATE' s databases and forecasting models.
P2P applications included
- ABC
- Ares Galaxy
- Audiogalaxy
- netiwork
- Azureus
- Ants P2P
- BearShare
- BitComet
- BitLord
- BitSpirit
- BitTornado
- BitTorrent
- Blubster
- Bullguard
- DC++
- eMule
- eDonkey
- Grokster
- FileTopia
- Freenet
- FreeWire
- Frost
- G3 Torrent
- Gift
- Gnucleus
- IMesh
- LimeWire
- Mammoth
- Mercora
- MojoNation
- Morpheus
- Napigator
- NeoNapster
- Overnet
- PeerCast
- Piolet
- Kazaa
- Shareaza
- Soulseek
- WinMX
- XoloX
Table of Contents
Executive summary
Global analysis, including a comparison of results from each country
1.1 Current state of downloading usage
- Content downloading and digital distribution environment and usage
- Development of legal music download offers on the internet
- Deployment of downloadable video game rental and sale offers
- Setting up a video download offer
- Download usage, characteristics, budget and evolution
1.2 Close-up on the unauthorised P2P download phenomenon
- P2P as a full-fledged means of acquiring digital content
- A technology recognised as an economically viable distribution mode
- Use of P2P software dominated by unauthorised downloads
- 1.3 Content download market estimates
- Digitised distribution
- Download market growth estimates: music, video, video games
- Estimates of the P2P digital distribution market' s growth capacity.
1.4 Growth scenarios up to 2010
Country-specific reports
For each country studied: France, the United States, the UK
1.1 Downloaders' internet connection equipment
- Broadband connection and access provider
- Composition of flat rates
1.2. Downloaders' digital entertainment budget
- Budget breakdown: cinema, DVD purchase and rental, pay-TV, audio DVD
purchases, video games
1.3. Downloading patterns
- Type of downloads: legal for-pay, free legal, free unauthorised
- Type of devices used
- Content downloaded: music, software, video games, movies, DVD, TV
programmes, cartoons...
- The most popular services with web users
- Budget allocated to downloading
1.4 Unauthorised P2P download practices
- P2P downloading practices
- Applications involved
- Short-term evolution of unauthorised P2P downloading
- Type and volume of downloaded content
- Impact of P2P downloading on retail purchases
- Conditions for switching to legal digital content purchases
- Is there a psychological threshold for the price of a song, an album, a
movie, a TV show, a TV cartoon, a music video...
- P2P software penetration rates:
- by country, among the downloader population
- by application
- Penetration rate of the leading P2P networks in broadband households,
among the downloader population
1.5. P2P software and networks
- P2P software penetration rates:
- by country, amongst downloaders
- by application
- Penetration rate of the top P2P networks in broadband households that
download content
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