According to Cyber Dialogue, more than 43 million U.S. surfers - 70 percent of all surfers in the nation - are turning to the Web for sports, movies, TV, music or gaming information. And Cyber Dialogue VP Peter Clemente says we "haven't scratched the surface" of ways to pass the time online.

"Online has become a "must" for [celebrity's] publicity tour," says America Online spokeswoman Kathie Lentz, who reports that a chat session with pop-music starlet Britney Spears drew 234,000 participants earlier this year.

But enabling a fan to feel closer to a star is just the beginning. As Web shopping and information gathering increasingly become commodities, Clemente says, entertainment will evolve into a key means of differentiation for all Web businesses: "Entertainment will be a major part of the consumer experience - not just another type of content, but a component of other vertical industries online."

no biz

AOL

athletes

fan

movies

celebs

Maryann Jones Thompson is a senior editor for The Industry Standard.

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Cyber Dialogue, Inc.
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