Public Information Office                                          CB01-186                                      
301-457-3030/301-457-3670 (fax)
301-457-1037 (TDD)
e-mail: pio@census.gov   
  
Michael Armah/Stacy Furukawa
301-457-2787

Radio Soundbites

            Information Sector's Annual Revenues at
              $858 Billion, Census Bureau Reports
                                       
  The Commerce Department's Census Bureau reported today that revenues for
the nation's information sector increased by 11 percent between 1999 and
2000, from $774 billion to $858 billion.

  The tabulations, available on the Internet for both employer and
nonemployer firms, show an increase of 50 percent, to $36 billion, for the
information services industry group. This group includes online
information services, news syndicates, libraries and archives, and other
information services.

  The overwhelming majority of the information sector's revenues in 2000
99 percent, or $850 billion was recorded by employer firms (establishments
with paid employees). These firms had $767 billion in revenues in 1999.

  Highlights for selected industry groups (employer firms only) for 
1999 to 2000:

  Information and Data Processing

  - Revenues from online information services increased 48 percent, to 
    $27 billion. They were led by Internet access fees, which reached 
    $12 billion, an increase of 38 percent.
  
  - Revenues from data-processing services increased 13 percent, to 
    $42 billion.


  Publishing

  - Publishing industry revenue showed an increase of 7 percent, to 
    $233 billion; advertising revenue for newspapers was up 8 percent, 
    to $38 billion.
  
  - Software publishing accounted for 38 percent of the publishing 
    industry's revenues and showed a growth of 9 percent, to $88 billion.
  
  Cable Networks
 
  - Revenue for cable network and program distribution gained 13 percent,
    to $68 billion, with advertising revenue up 23 percent, to 
    $12 billion. Expenses increased 17 percent, to $62 billion.

  - Cable network revenue increased 18 percent, to $21 billion; expenses 
    increased 16 percent, to $15 billion.

  - Cable-program distribution revenue was up 11 percent, to $47 billion, 
    with basic service revenue increasing 10 percent, to $30 billion. 
    Expenses increased 17 percent, to $47 billion.
  
  Radio and Television

  - Revenue for radio and television broadcasting increased 11 percent, to 
    $53 billion. Expenses were up 8 percent, to $40 billion.


  Telecommunications

  - Revenues from cellular and other wireless telecommunications, except 
    paging, increased 25 percent, to $58 billion.
  
  Motion Picture and Sound Recording

  - Motion picture and video industries' revenues increased 5 percent, to 
    $54 billion; revenues for the sound recording industries increased 
    5 percent, to $12 billion.
  
  Estimates for the information sector are contained in the 
2000 Service Annual Survey report. The sector includes software publishers, 
motion picture and sound recording, broadcasting and telecommunications, and 
information services and data processing services. Subsequent reports will
cover computer services, selected financial industries, the health sector, and 
trucking and warehousing.

  The data are subject to sampling variability and nonsampling errors.
Sources of nonsampling error include errors of response, nonreporting and
coverage. Measures of sampling variability, presented as relative standard
errors, are shown in the tables.