New Delhi:19 January,2009: More than 50 per cent of internet users in urban India belong to the age group 18-25 years. This was revealed by the I-Cube 2008 a joint annual survey of internet users conducted by IMRB International and Internet and Mobile Association of India [IAMAI]. This group comprised two categories: college going students and young men. While these two categories together have registered a growth of 3 per cent over last year, all other catergories seem to have declied marginally over the last year: School going kids declined by 2 per cent; older men by 1, working women remained the same as did non-working women.

The primary reasons for the increase in the youth category are twofold accordingly to the survey, a) internet content and application are primarily geared to the youth, especially the sticky applications like user generated contents like social networking, gaming and online entertainment; and b) a rise in internet search for academic purposes.The demographic change over the years is captured in the following illustration:

Commenting on the study Mr. Mohan Krishnan, Senior Vice President BIRD, a specialized unit of IMRB International said Pattern of Internet usage is in transition among younger generation (between 18 to 35 years). Youths are increasingly adopting Internet not as a technology but as another medium to indulge in their important wide-ranging daily activities - listening to music, making friends, promoting themselves and conducting business or exercising their occupation. Specifically, online gaming is emerging as a major growth area attracting investments by content developers and distributors.

About IAMAI

www.iamai.in

The Internet & Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) is a not-for-profit industry body registered under the Societies Act, 1896. Its mandate is to expand and enhance the online and mobile value added services sectors. It is dedicated to presenting a unified voice of the businesses it represents to the government, investors, consumers and other stakeholders. The association addresses the issues, concerns and challenges of the Internet and Mobile economy and takes a leading role in its development.

For further queries please contact: Mr. Mehul Gupta AVP, Tel: +91-11-4657 0328 /9810375413 or write to mehul@iamai.in

About IMRB International

www.imrbint.com

Established in 1971, IMRB International is a pioneer in market research. A member of the Kantar Group, WPP's information, insight and consulting division. IMRB's footprint extends across 11 countries - India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Singapore, Malaysia, Korea and London.

With over 1200 full time staff, IMRB provides high quality conceptualization, strategic thinking, execution and interpretation skills. IMRB International is the only research company in India that offers such a wide range of research based services to its clients. IMRB International's specialized areas includes consumer market research both quantitative and qualitative, industrial market research, business to business market research, social and rural market research, media research, retail research, and consumer panels.

For further queries please contact: Ms. Seema Saini Head-Corporate Communications Tel: +91-22-2423 35 26 /9820626170 Fax: +91-22-2432 48 70 or write to seema.saini@imrbint.com