Australian In-Home TV Viewing Rises Year on Year

April 14, 2014 World Screen Top Stories

SYDNEY: According to the latest Australian Multi-Screen Report, Australians are spending more time watching conventional television than they did a year ago and are also using Internet-connected devices to complement their viewing of TV and other video.

More households in Australia are using multiple screens for their viewing now than ever before. An estimated 40 percent of homes now have tablets, up from 27 percent in Q4 2012 and 37 percent in Q3 2013. Internet-capable TVs are in 23 percent of homes as of Q4 2013, up from the 20 percent reported a year prior. PVRs are in 53 percent of homes, and 14 percent have two or more. PVR penetration rates have been stable for the most part in recent quarters.

Even with the adoption of new technologies, Australians are using their traditional TV sets for the overwhelming majority of time spent consuming TV and other video. In the fourth quarter of 2013, Australian viewers took in an average of 92 hours and 39 minutes (92:39) of broadcast TV each month on their in-home sets. This is a rise of 1:34 since Q4 2012. Viewing of TV content that people record and play back within seven days of broadcast rose to just over 15 minutes year on year, now accounting for 6:47 each month. In Q4 2013, Australians spent 5:52 per month watching online video on a computer; viewing video on smaller connected devices continues to rise as well.

Doug Peiffer, OzTAM CEO, commented: “Even with extensive new screen and platform options, Australians are viewing as much broadcast television as they have in years. The Multi-Screen Report draws on Australia’s best audience measurement sources to provide a unique and holistic view of how Australians are actually watching TV and other video content across various screens.”

Deborah Wright, the regional TAM chair, said: “The Multi-Screen Report continues to reflect strong growth in adoption of new technologies, particularly with tablets and internet enabled TVs, in households across regional Australia which is in line with growth in metropolitan markets.”