The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) today released a new study which found that more than half (53 percent) of online U.S. adults watch some form of streaming or downloaded video content in the home. Those consumers have a distinct preference for streaming video versus downloading content, as 51 percent view streaming content and spend an average of two hours per week watching, while only 15 percent download content and spend an average of one hour watching.

Like video consumption, more than half (54 percent) of online U.S. adults listen to digital audio in the home. But unlike video, the preference for digital audio content skews toward downloaded audio (43 percent) versus streaming audio (37 percent). Those consumers spent an average of 2.6 hours listening to downloaded files versus two hours for streaming audio.

"Technology allows consumers to access almost any content they desire instantaneously on Internet-connected devices," said Chris Ely, manager, industry relations, CEA. "The rise of mobile broadband has resulted in the emergence of connected devices that are able to stream content directly from the Internet, and services that allow consumers to store and access content without the need of a hard drive."

One in four consumers expressed an interest in purchasing a home media connectivity system. The study shows that new home purchasers can be a "sweet spot" in spurring adoption of connectivity systems. Sixty percent of those interested in connectivity systems indicated that they were considering buying a system with a purchase of a new home.

"Digital media consumption will continue to grow as the number of connected devices and services for accessing content improves and expands," added Ely."Manufactures, content providers, aggregators and service providers must work together to ensure the content customers want is accessible through different devices. The sooner the market is able to meet the consumers' needs, the sooner the industry will reap the benefits."