Australians Spend Nearly 100 Hours Per Month with Traditional TV

SYDNEY/NEW YORK: Watching video on conventional TV sets remains strong in Australia and is rising due to the increased use of Personal Video Recorders (PVRs) and high DTT penetration, according to the latest Australian Multi-Screen Report.

PVRs are now in 47 percent of homes in the country, and DTT penetration is approaching 100 percent. The more digital TV sets in Australian homes means more channels available, resulting in higher viewing levels. Ninety-six percent of homes can receive DTT and 74 percent have converted all their sets in their home to digital, up from the 55 percent reported a year ago.

It’s estimated that 15 percent of Australian homes now own at least one tablet. While video viewing on PCs, smartphones and tablets is growing rapidly, viewers still overwhelming choose to watch on the largest screen available to them: 96 percent of all video viewing is still done on the traditional TV set. Time spent watching on TVs is on the rise, up 1.2 percent year-on-year. The average monthly time spent viewing TV broadcast content in the home on a traditional set is up to 97 minutes and 15 seconds. The average monthly time spent watching recorded/playback TV content is up by 1 hours and 36 minutes since the same period last year, now at 6 hours and 33 minutes per month.

Doug Peiffer, the CEO of OzTAM, said: "The use of new devices will continue to grow—as seen in the estimated 15 percent of Australian households that already have a tablet device. PCs and mobile devices are creating additional opportunities to view, in the process keeping consumers close to the content.

"Amid the excitement about such technologies though, Australians’ TV habits remain largely unchanged. People still enjoy nearly 100 hours of television on the conventional set every month, and 96 percent of viewing is still to the traditional in-home TV.

"The quarterly insights provided by the Australian Multi-Screen Report provide a better understanding of how much viewing is actually going to various devices—drawing on the best available measurement sources in Nielsen, OzTAM and Regional TAM—to assist the industry in planning and forecasting."

Matt Bruce, the MD of Nielsen’s media group in Australia, added: “The Australian Multi-Screen Report again highlights that Australians’ fast adoption of smart phones and tablets is in fact broadening the viewing opportunities of TV across multiple platforms.

"Our Nielsen Online Consumer Report 2012 forecasts that growth of tablet use among online Australians will more than double this year to 39%, while smart phone ownership is expected to reach 64 percent. The rapid rise of these devices and new technologies is further extending Australians’ TV viewing opportunities, and our Multi-Screen report is providing media owners, agencies and advertisers with clarity and actionable insights into the way multiple screens are reaching and engaging with consumers.”

Deborah Wright, the chair of Regional TAM, said: “The information gathered to produce this report also highlights that multi-screen viewing is consistent right across regional and metropolitan Australia with no material variations in any key findings.”