Australians Increasing Multi-Screen Viewing Habits

SYDNEY: Overall TV viewing in Australia is strong and continues to increase, with new technologies encouraging viewing across multiple screens, as reported in new data from Nielsen, OzTAM and Regional TAM.

The first Australian Multi-Screen Report finds that there’s greater choice and access to DTT across Australia, where 95 percent of homes have at least one DTT-enabled TV set. This is up from the 90 percent reported in Q1 2011. Also, 70 percent of homes can receive DTT on every working TV set in the home, up from the previously reported 55 percent. Forty-four percent of households have access to time-shifting devices. All combined, these factors have given Australian viewers greater choice and access to TV content, which is spurring viewing via traditional means.

The average monthly time spent watching linear television increased 6.1 percent from Q4 2010 and Q4 2011. The total is now 113 hours and 38 minutes. Average monthly time spent viewing recorded TV has increased by 60 percent in that same period, now standing at 12 hours per month. Approximately 99 percent of Australian homes have at least one working TV set.

Online video viewing is still small compared to conventional TV watching, though the figures are rising. Around 77 percent of households are connected to the Internet. Australians spent an average of 43 hours and 54 minutes per month using the Internet. Australians spent an average of 3 hours and 27 minutes per month watching any online video, up from the previous year’s 2 hours and 7 minutes.

“The introduction of DTT and time-shifted viewing, and the speed with which Australians are adopting new technology which delivers broadcast content anywhere, anytime has impacted the way in which traditional television content is accessed,” said Matt Bruce, the head of Nielsen’s media industry practice group in Australia. “The Australian Multi-Screen Report confirms that new technology and devices are adding to, rather than replacing, Australians’ TV viewing, and for media owners, agencies and advertisers, these findings provide much-anticipated insights into the way media is consumed, thereby helping to understand viewing habits and more successfully reach and engage with audiences across multiple screens.”