For instance, consumers usually watch broadcast or cable TV for at least 30 minutes per session, but spend as little as five to seven minutes watching consumer-generated video clips online, it said.

That might counter predictions by some media experts that Internet usage will add to the sum total of consumer media time. But VSS expected the trend to correct itself in 2007 with an overall increase of 0.1 percent and in 2008 at 0.8 percent, roughly line with increases in 2004 and 2005.

In 2006 consumers spent the most time with TV, followed by radio, which together combined for nearly 70 percent of the time spent with media. That was followed by recorded music at 5.3 percent, newspapers at 5 percent, and the Internet at 5 percent.

But this year the study forecasts the Internet will take up a bigger chunk of time spent with media than either newspapers or recorded music. Internet will move up to 5.1 percent, while newspapers and recorded music each move down to 4.9 percent.

At the same time, more time is being spent with media at the workplace thanks to the Internet, the study showed. It said media usage by "institutional end-users" grew 3.2 percent to 260 hours per worker in 2006. It predicted that institutional media usage would continue to grow from 2007 to 2011.

"More and more companies need up-to-the-second information," Rutherfurd said. "Most people in their jobs have access to computers on their desk -- companies need the information and are willing to pay for it."