Without necessarily knowing it, we all have a book in our pocket, all the time… The smartphone remains the preferred reading device when we enter the digital domain. 60% of consumers of digital or audio books indicated to Arcom that they had used them as “consumption support ».
The smartphone thus far exceeds the computer (27%), the tablet (24%) and even the e-reader (21%), a device designed primarily for digital reading. The latter would even be used less and less, according to developments observed since 2019: 5% of French Internet users having consumed at least one cultural or sporting content over the last 12 months cited it in 2019, compared to 3% in 2024 – a difference perhaps linked to the broadening of the scope of those interviewed.
Indeed, overall consumption of cultural and sporting content now reaches 91% of Internet users in France, or more than 48 million individuals, notes Arcom.
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The consumption of digital and audio books remains stable in 2024, notes the authority, at 13% of all French Internet users aged 15 and over, the same level as 2023 and a little below that of 2022 (14% ). The high level of 2019 (22%) and the enthusiasm linked to the Covid-19 health crisis (25% in 2020 and 2021) are definitely a thing of the past.
For those who consume them, digital and audio books represent a fairly sustained habit among Internet users, half of whom return to them at least once a week.
The book, often purchased
The information will delight French publishers, still fighting against pirate platforms. The digital or audio book is in fact one of the cultural products for which consumers most often pay. 57% of consumers of digital or audio books say they do so, in any case.
43% consume only for free — which does not mean that this consumption is necessarily illicit. This free consumption also remains rather stable, according to Arcom data.
The average monthly basket for legal consumption of cultural and sporting content online reaches €32, down slightly compared to 2023 (€34). For a particular digital book offering, the average basket is €13, for Internet users who pay an amount for a paid service.
18% of French Internet users indicate that they have access to at least one paid offer, including 11% through a subscription within the household and 7% through the account of a person outside the household (often family members or friends). Among 15-39 year olds, CSP+ and in the Paris region, subscribing to an offer of digital or audio books is having greater success.
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Generally speaking, the use of a legal offer arises from a motivation to comply with the law, but also from respect for creators or even the fear of viruses, malware or spam.
The complete barometer is accessible below or at this address.
Photography: illustration, Japanexperterna.se, CC BY-SA 2.0
By Antoine Oury
Contact : [email protected]
