TV remains strong in Australian life – Multi-Screen report for October – December 2012 reveals

Television remains a key part of everyday life according to the latest Australian Multi-Screen Report covering the fourth quarter of calendar 2012.

Australians watch an average 91 hours and 5 minutes (91:05) of TV per month, with playback viewing within seven days of broadcast accounting for 6:30.

Average daily time spent viewing television has been remarkably consistent over the past ten years, especially as today’s technological and entertainment choice was hardly imaginable a decade ago.

Across calendar 2012, Australians watched an average 3 hours and 11 minutes (3:11) of TV a day. In 2003, people spent an average of 3:18.

Television reaches more than three quarters of the population every day. 98% of homes are able to receive digital terrestrial television (DTT) and 81% have converted every working set in the home to DTT.

People’s overall use of the TV screen is evolving with new technologies. Internet-connected TVs, now in 20% of homes, can add to time spent with the big screen.

Special study: Tablet usage and behaviour in the home

27% of homes had tablet devices in Q4 2012, up from 15% at the start of the year.

In order to better understand the impact of tablets on viewing, Nielsen, OzTAM and Regional TAM conducted a special research study∆ in the second half of 2012.

30 households, separate to the TAM panels, were provided iPads and their use of the iPad and TV set was tracked over 12 weeks to see how the new devices affected claimed and actual viewing behaviour. People meters were attached to their television sets to register actual TV viewing levels.

The initial results suggest tablets are complementary, rather than substitutes, for TV screen use.

Findings include:

• After an initial exploratory period, total household TV screen use[2] returns to normal, with viewing of live TV in some cases rising.
• Within the study homes, television playback viewing activity via PVRs is slow to recover during weekdays but on weekends returns to previous levels, suggesting the presence of tablets is influencing the days people do their catch-up viewing.

The following charts illustrate the change in household behaviour at four and eight weeks after the introduction of tablets:

By the end of the study period:

• Tablet use becomes concentrated, with fewer household members claiming to use the device, particularly in homes with children.
• Tablets are the most likely ‘second screen’ to be used simultaneously with TV: 43% of people claimed to do so at least once during a month (40% for smartphones; 24% for laptop computers).
• Simultaneous tablet use is predominantly for activities unrelated to the TV program or advertising being watched:

o   reading messages or communicating with others in general (57% of people claim they did so at least once during the month)

o   searching/browsing products and services (53%)

o   accessing other entertainment content (40%)

o   viewing content related to the TV program or advertising (33%)

o   searching for information related to the TV program or advertising (23%)

o   online communication related to the TV program or advertising (17%)

• While about a quarter of people claim to use the tablet to watch any kind of video in a month, only 2% of individuals in the study claim ever to use tablets to watch TV programs broadcast on either free-to-air or subscription television networks.
• The most common activities performed using tablets are accessing the internet (73% claim to do so at least once in the month) and playing games (59%).
• Both before and after receiving tablets, 100% of study participants said the conventional TV screen was their preferred and primary device for watching TV:

o   Key reasons include screen size; picture and sound quality; ability to sit back and relax with other household members and visitors.

o   Other screens, including the tablet, are used if a program is missed on TV for reasons of convenience and portability.

• On weekdays and weekends tablet usage mirrors TV usage across the day.

Says Doug Peiffer, CEO, OzTAM: “Considered alongside our robust TAM currency, the special tablet study helps us begin to understand the impact of these devices on viewing patterns. Initial findings suggest that as tablets quickly entrench themselves in Australian homes their role is complementary rather than rival to TV, which remains remarkably resilient in an era of extraordinary consumer choice. OzTAM, Regional TAM and Nielsen will continue to investigate how viewing habits are evolving to give the industry better insight into audience behaviour.”

Other findings as of Q4 (Oct-Dec) 2012:

• 93% of all viewing[3] is to the traditional television set, on average 91 hours and 5 minutes (91:05) per month[4]. 

• 93% of all TV viewing is live, with playback accounting for 7% (6:30 per month).

• More than 11.1 million Australians watch some video (both television broadcast and non-broadcast content) online via a PC or laptop each month: an average of 5 hours and 54 minutes in Q4 2012. Such viewing is highest among people aged 18-24 (11:36)[5].

• 59% of Australians aged 16+ own a smartphone and spend on average 1:20 per month viewing any video on these devices[6].

• Australians spend on average 50:42 per month using the internet on a PC.

• Household internet penetration is stable at 79%.

• The combination of the extended screens (PC and mobile phone usage) for any video content still accounts for just 7% of the video consumption on traditional TV sets:

o   5:54 per month on PCs (All People)

o   1:20 per month on smartphones (People 16+[7])

o   91:05 per month on a traditional TV (All People)

[1] 2012 Consolidated viewing data, all people, all day, total television. 2003 live-only viewing.

[2] Includes live-to-air viewing, playback within 7 days of original broadcast, and other TV screen usage (for example, viewing non-broadcast video, internet browsing or playing games).

[3] Viewing via the conventional TV includes broadcast content only; video viewing on PCs and smartphones can include both broadcast and non-broadcast video content.

[4] All people figures.

[5] Nielsen VideoCensus.

[6] Q4 2011.

[7] Q4 2011.