User-Created-Content: Supporting a participative Information Society Final Report SMART 2007/2008 Authors : IDATE: Florence Le Borgne-Bachschmidt (project manager), Sophie Girieud, Marc Leiba TNO: Silvain de Munck, Sander Limonard, Martijn Poel, Linda Kool IViR: Natali Helberger, Lucie Guibault, Esther Janssen, Nico van Eijk, Christina Angelopoulos, Joris van Hoboken, Ewout Swart Copyright by IDATE – TNO – IViR 2008 All rights reserved. None of the contents of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form, including electronically, without the prior written permission of IDATE – TNO – IViR. User-Created-Content: Supporting a participative Information Society Table of Contents 1. Introduction......................................................................................................................................13 1.1. Background of the study ........................................................................................................ 13 1.2. Scope and objectives of the study ......................................................................................... 14 2. Methodology ....................................................................................................................................15 2.1. Description of the overall methodology deployed throughout the study ................................ 15 2.2. List of case studies................................................................................................................. 16 2.3. List of interviews..................................................................................................................... 22 3. Definitions........................................................................................................................................23 3.1. Preliminary comments............................................................................................................23 3.2. Scope of UCC & Nature of content ........................................................................................ 23 3.3. Criteria used for the classification .......................................................................................... 24 3.4. Presentation of the classification ........................................................................................... 25 PART I – Market analysis.....................................................................................................................27 1. Assessment of the UCC market.....................................................................................................29 1.1. Preliminary comments............................................................................................................29 1.2. Technical environment...........................................................................................................31 1.2.1. Internet roll-out .......................................................................................................................................... 31 1.2.2. IPTV roll-out .............................................................................................................................................. 33 1.2.3. Digital cable roll-out................................................................................................................................... 34 1.2.4. 3G roll out.................................................................................................................................................. 35 1.2.5. Creation devices: the example of digital camera....................................................................................... 37 1.3. Level of computer and Internet skills ..................................................................................... 38 1.3.1. Level of computer skills............................................................................................................................. 38 1.3.2. Level of Internet skills................................................................................................................................ 38 1.3.3. Internet uses.............................................................................................................................................. 40 1.3.4. Media literacy: the example of the UK....................................................................................................... 44 1.3.5. Security problems...................................................................................................................................... 46 1.4. What people do on UCC services?........................................................................................ 50 1.4.1. The main online activities.......................................................................................................................... 50 1.4.2. The main online activities related to UCC services................................................................................... 51 1.4.3. Reading blogs ........................................................................................................................................... 58 1.4.4. Writing blogs.............................................................................................................................................. 60 1.4.5. Belonging to a social network.................................................................................................................... 64 1.4.6. Sharing content ......................................................................................................................................... 68 1.4.7. Consuming content ................................................................................................................................... 71 1.4.8. Tagging ..................................................................................................................................................... 78 1.4.9. Content creation estimates........................................................................................................................ 79 1.4.10. Highlights................................................................................................................................................... 83 1.5. UCC creators ......................................................................................................................... 84 1.5.1. Currently, a limited percentage of the Internet users, but higher among young people............................ 84 1.5.2. Some slight differences by country ........................................................................................................... 91 December 2008 © IDATE – TNO – IviR 3 User-Created-Content: Supporting a participative Information Society 1.5.3. A poor proportion of creation in comparison to the number of visits ......................................................... 94 1.5.4. A frequent activity...................................................................................................................................... 95 1.5.5. Estimates of the number of UCC consumers/creators.............................................................................. 96 1.5.6. Highlights................................................................................................................................................... 97 1.6. UCC Revenue ........................................................................................................................ 98 1.6.1. Advertising revenue................................................................................................................................... 98 1.6.2. Subscription and a la carte revenues...................................................................................................... 103 1.6.3. Donation revenues .................................................................................................................................. 107 1.6.4. Revenue sharing with content creators................................................................................................... 107 1.6.5. Highlights................................................................................................................................................. 113 2. Description of existing business models in the field of UCC.................................................. 115 2.1. Business model based on advertising revenues ................................................................. 119 2.1.1. A narrow and duopolistic advertising market........................................................................................... 120 2.1.2. A need for new ad formats more appropriate to Web 2.0? ..................................................................... 122 2.2. Business model based on subscription or a la carte revenue ............................................. 124 2.3. Business model based on the sale of technology, services and/or goods .......................... 125 2.3.1. White label technology sales................................................................................................................... 125 2.3.2. E-commerce............................................................................................................................................ 126 2.4. The business models of UCC according to a content, social and