Live TV Driving Australians’ Screen Time

SYDNEY: The latest Australian Multi-Screen Report illustrates that Australians overwhelmingly prefer live TV to recorded, with overall in-home TV usage steady year-on-year.

Broadcast TV viewing is at nearly 96 hours per Australian each month. Australians gravitate toward the largest available screen for viewing as well. Smaller, mobile devices create additional opportunities to watch video content, complementing the time people spend watching TV in their homes. Australians spend an average 95 hours and 51 minutes per month watching broadcast TV on conventional in-home TV sets. Of that viewing, 93 percent is done live.

Household take-up of new technologies is increasing in Australia. Internet-capable TVs are now in 22 percent of homes, up from 18 percent in the same period a year ago. An estimated 37 percent of homes now have tablets, up from 22 percent the period a year prior. Across the online population over the age of 16, people claim to spend an average of 50 minutes (0:50) per month using tablets to watch online video. Also, 67 percent of Australians aged 16+ own a smartphone, with people spending an average 1:20 per month watching any online video on their phones. PVR penetration has been steady in recent quarters, now in 53 percent of Australian homes.