Eighty million consumers representing 35 percent of Americans ages 12 and older have watched or listened to Internet-based streaming media, a new study shows.

The study, conducted by Arbitron Inc. and Edison Media Research, said that figure has climbed dramatically over the past 24 months. Two years ago, only 24 percent of Americans said they had streamed audio or video via the Internet.

The report — "Internet VIII: Advertising vs. Subscription - Which Streaming Model Will Win? - also found that "streamies" are willing to pay for subscription fees for the "right mix" of content. About 40 percent of audio streamers said they would pay a small fee commercial-free content, high-quality audio (without pausing or "buffering") and unique content.

Arbitron and Edison based their findings on a Jan. 2002 survey consisting of 2,508 telephone interviews.

Although streaming has become a popular platform for listening to and distributing digital music, streaming video has also gained some attention through projects like Movielink, a studio-backed, Internet-based VOD service that's expected to launch later this year. Still, most analysts don't see Internet video streaming moving beyond a niche market until as late as 2005.