China leads world in streaming, downloading media

China's online population is the world leader in streaming or downloading media, with more than 70 percent selecting music or movies, followed by Turkey, according to a study. It also noted that the country led in online games activities.

The online poll, which was conducted by Ipsos Global Public Affairs for newswire Reuters and released on Wednesday, showed that on a global average, 57 percent of respondents said they visited Web sites for hobbies and other interests, 43 percent downloaded music and 34 percent searched for movies.

More than 19,000 adults around the world participated in the study, it noted.

However, Reuters noted that usage in the 24 countries surveyed varied widely. For example, 72 percent of people in Turkey said they visited sites for hobbies, while only 35 percent in Saudi Arabia did.

Keren Gottfried, research manager at Ipsos Global Public Affairs, said: "It's remarkable to think that the file-sharing technology, popularized for music only in recent history, is now done by four in 10 Internet users in 24 countries."

The study also noted that China was also the leader in online games participation, with 61 percent saying they had played. By contrast, the global average for people who play online games was 27 percent.

Research firm Gartner had earlier forecasted China's online games market to grow 39 percent to exceed US$9.2 billion by 2014.