Movies hold viewer attention more than TV series: QUT research
We may be in what many are dubbing the golden age of television, but new research from QUT shows that it’s still movies that hold viewers’ attentions over a TV series.
QUT’s Digital Media Research Centre and School of Communication surveyed more than 2,000 adults for the study, which examines Australians’ attitudes towards scripted series and movie viewing.
“We are no longer bound to viewing schedules which means ‘primetime’ is anytime we choose, although a small percentage (13%) of Australians report not using either social media or paid streaming services,” said media scholar Professor Amanda Lotz, who conducted the study, alongside Dr Marion McCutcheon.
“Even with all the new ways in which we do view entertainment, there is also very little good data about common practices, such as how much viewing is intentional versus played in the background.
“Our latest report fills that gap, especially about the importance of screen stories as a way to share time with others and how we choose what to watch, which is not always determined by the content.”
The research found viewers pay closer attention to movies than TV series, with half of scripted series viewing receiving our full attention compared to 63% of movie viewing.
“Yet scripted series or movies remain very popular across all age groups, accounting for more than half of the viewing of our participants,” Lotz notes.
“One quarter of those we surveyed never use another device while viewing while 28 per cent do not watch videos on social media (YouTube, TikTok, Twitch, Facebook, etc.) and 13 per cent don’t watch reality TV, sports or news.
“The figures vary with age though. People aged 45 and under watch nearly half the amount of reality TV, sports, and news as people aged over 45, and nearly three times as much social media video.
“Older viewers are also more likely to pay close attention than younger viewers, who are much more likely to play shows in the background.”
Not surprisingly, Dr McCutcheon credits the use of a ‘second screen’ such as a phone or a laptop as being responsible for the fractured attention.
“In the late 00s, many in the industry believed people would use their mobile screens in ways tied to living room screen viewing, what they called the ‘second screen’,” McCutcheon said.
“These assumptions persist today, so we asked how often respondents use a phone or other device related to what they are watching. It turned out that that ‘second screen’ use is not a major feature of Australian viewing, with a quarter of them stating they never use another device while viewing a movie or series. This is especially the case for older viewers.”
The full report is available here.
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