The 2004 Paid Online Content U.S. Market Spending Report was released Thursday by the Online Publishers Association (OPA), which found that consumer spending for online content in the U.S. grew to $1.8 billion last year, marking a 14% increase over 2003.
The increase was due in large part by the growth in the Entertainment/Lifestyles category.
Online Personals/Dating remained the leading paid content category in 2004, with spending at an all-time high of $469.5 million for the year, up 4% over 2003. Overall spending by consumers on Entertainment/Lifestyles grew a remarkable 90%, from $217.6 million in 2003 to $413.5 million in 2004.
The report said also that Business/Investment content declined 6% over that same time period. As a result, Entertainment/Lifestyles overtook Business/Investment content as the No. 2 paid content category and is on track to overtake the top position should its current rate of growth continue.
In addition to Entertainment/Lifestyles, the Sports and Games categories also showed strong annual growth of 38% and 22%, respectively. Conversely, Community-Made Directories and Credit Help sectors incurred sharp decreases
In a statement coinciding with the release of the study, Michael Zimbalist, president of the Online Publishers Association said of the findings: "The fact that Entertainment/Lifestyles, Sports and Games were by far the year's fastest growing paid content categories is further evidence that the Web is on its way to becoming a true entertainment medium for U.S. consumers."
The study was conducted in partnership with comScore Networks, a company that provides insight into consumer behavior and attitudes.
