"Nearly two‐thirds of internet users – 65% – have paid to download or access some kind of online
content from the internet, ranging from music to games to news articles. Music, software, and apps are
the most popular content that internet users have paid to access or download, although the range of
paid online content is quite varied and widespread.
[...]
In this survey we asked the following question: “Please tell me if you have ever paid to access or to
download any of the following types of online content?” And we found:
33% of internet users have paid for digital music online
33% have paid for software
21% have paid for apps for their cell phones or tablet computers
19% have paid for digital games
18% have paid for digital newspaper, magazine, or journal articles or reports
16% have paid for videos, movies, or TV shows
15% have paid for ringtones
12% have paid for digital photos
11% have paid for members‐only premium content from a website that has other free material on it
10% have paid for e‐books
7% have paid for podcasts
5% have paid for tools or materials to use in video or computer games
5% have paid for “cheats or codes” to help them in video games
5% have paid to access particular websites such as online dating sites or services
2% have paid for adult content
And 6% of internet users said they had paid for another kind of content that had not been mentioned in
the list of 15 we offered."
Source: Pew Research Center,
Paying For Online Content, 30th December 2010
