Bulgarians spend on average 16 hours a week online, making the internet the second most popular media in the country.

The data about Bulgaria comes from the largest pan-European poll on media use with over 50 000 respondents, conducted by Mediascope Europe on the order of Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB Bulgaria).

TV is still first with 23.2 hours a week, but radio (11.7 hours), and especially newspapers (4.1) and magazines (3.7) lack behind significantly.

In Europe the average use of internet is lower than the one in Bulgaria – 14.8 hours.

The poll covers the entire spectrum of media use – radio, TV, press, magazines and internet, including through computers, mobile devices, tablets and others. In Bulgaria the online study has been conducted by Global Park/ GMI with 1 000 respondents while the offline one - by TNS with 500 respondents.

The poll further shows that in Europe, including Bulgaria, there is a wide-spread "shared use of media." For example, in Bulgaria 36% of men and 38% of women use the net while watching TV. Those ages 16 to 24 have the largest share among people who are online while watching TV.

The poll also reveals the strong influence of online media in Bulgaria. 51% of internet users say that the net helps them in choosing the best goods and service while 72% use it to stay in touch with friends and families. Interestingly enough, 37% state that internet helps them manage their health.