Multi-Screen Report: Live TV Still Dominates in Australia

September 4, 2015 World Screen Top Stories

SYDNEY: The latest Australian Multi-Screen Report reveals that 91 percent of all broadcast TV watched in Australia on a traditional set in Q2 2015 was viewed live.

The report—from Regional TAM, OzTAM and Nielsen—finds that in Q2 2015, Australians spent an average 90 hours and 53 minutes (90:53) each month viewing live television, compared to 97:03 a year earlier. In each of the past five years, the proportion of time Australians spend watching live-to-air television has dropped gradually.

Each month, 22.2 million Australians watch broadcast TV. The daily average is just under three hours for broadcast TV. The traditional TV set remains the most popular viewing platform. However, in Q2 2015, the usage of other screens rose by an average 2:24 year-on-year to 28:42 per month.

Australians’ viewing of video on connected mobile devices is growing. Across the population, 12 percent of all video viewing takes place on screens other than the TV.

Other key findings include that an estimated 30 percent of homes have internet-capable TVs (whether connected to the internet or not), up from 27 percent in Q2 2014. Household personal video recorder (PVR) penetration has leveled off at 57 percent. All Australian TV households can receive DTT channels; 96 percent have converted every working household TV set to digital.

Craig Johnson, the head of Nielsen’s Reach Solutions for Southeast Asia, North Asia and Pacific, said: “The continuing march of technology take-up continues to give Australian consumers more ways to view content. One hundred percent of TV homes receive digital terrestrial television (DTT) and 96 percent can do so on every working TV set in the house; 57 percent of households have a PVR and now the rise of the second PVR to 16 percent, with tablet and smartphone ownership continuing to increase. With all this, Australians are still watching 82 hours and 42 minutes a month of live TV, showing the unique position the television set still has in households today.”

Deborah Wright, the chair of Regional TAM and NBN Television's CEO, said: “The Australian Multi-Screen Report again delivers a comprehensive overview of how Australians are consuming broadcast television and other video. This report highlights that broadcast television continues to dominate, and looking at regional viewers specifically, they are spending more than 100 hours each month on average watching television, which is higher than the national average.”

OzTAM CEO Doug Peiffer commented: “It’s fascinating to see how Australians are spreading their TV consumption across various platforms and devices. Though live TV watched through the TV set still accounts for the vast majority of viewing, people are increasingly taking control. There is more time-shifted viewing, including 8-28 day playback (which isn’t reported in Consolidated ratings); people are using on-demand services including broadcasters’ catch-up and streaming apps and services, along with other video; and there is more ‘binge viewing.’ Together such activities are taking a few minutes each day away from live TV viewing. We will continue to monitor this progressive change.”