F.Y.I.

Oztam release Multi-Screen report for second quarter of 2015

Oztam has released the latest findings from the Australian Muli-Screen Report for Q2.

The announcement:

The latest Australian Multi-Screen Report – from Regional TAM, OzTAM and Nielsen, and covering the second quarter of calendar 2015 – shows Australians’ viewing behaviour continues to evolve amid the unprecedented choice people have in both the range of available video content and means of accessing it.

Trends evident in earlier editions of the report continued in Q2 2015 and include:

  • The majority of viewing is to broadcast television (free-to-air and subscription channels) watched on in-home TV sets:
  • Each month 22.193 million Australians watch broadcast TV.
  •  Each week broadcast TV reaches 88 per cent of Australians.
  • Each day Australians watch an average of just under 3 hours of broadcast TV.
  • Overall, Australians spend the bulk of their screen time with their TV sets:
  • On average 3.8 million Australians (16.5 per cent) are using their TV set for any purpose in any one minute across the day (2am – 2am);
  • On average 2.9 million Australians (12.6 per cent) are using their TV set to watch broadcast television in any one minute (2am – 2am);
  • On average 7.9 million Australians (34.3 per cent) are using their TV set for any purpose between 6pm and midnight, when TV use peaks.

Within this total TV screen use mix:

  • Other TV screen use is growing, with an increasing proportion of the time Australians spend with their TV sets going to purposes other than watching live or playback TV broadcasts within seven days.

In Q2 2015 such other screen use rose by an average 2 hours and 24 minutes (2:24) year-on-year to 28:42 per month.

This growth follows take-up of new technologies and services including internet-capable TVs; devices attached to the TV set (e.g., PVRs/DVRs and games consoles); and over-the-top streaming video and other content services.

One activity within this other use ‘bucket’ is viewing TV content between 8 and 28 days after the original broadcast (OzTAM and Regional TAM Consolidated data only include playback within seven days, so do not capture 8-28 day viewing).

Australians spent an average 1:17 in each 28-day period during Q2 2015 viewing 8-28 day content, which accounted for 1.52 per cent of all TV viewing time across the day. This is slightly higher than the 1:10 / 1.38 per cent share seen in Q1 2015.

  • The way people use their TV sets to watch broadcast television continues to change:
  • In each of the past five years the proportion of time Australians spend watching live-to-air television has dropped gradually.

In Q2 2015 Australians spent an average 90:53 each month viewing live television (97:03 a year earlier).

  • People have been watching more time-shifted TV – that is broadcast TV played back through the television at a later time.

Playback viewing within seven days of broadcast was 8:11 in Q2 2015 (up from 7:58 a year earlier).

  • Live TV dominates, with 91 per cent (82:42) of all broadcast TV viewed on TV sets in Q2 2015 watched live-to-air.
  • Australians’ viewing of video on connected mobile devices is growing:
  • Across the population 12 per cent of all video viewing takes place on screens other than the TV.
  • This video includes television content viewed on broadcasters’ catch-up and streaming sites and apps as well as non-broadcast content.

Though people under age 35 in particular are using internet-connected mobile devices to watch any video, all age groups spend the majority of their video viewing time watching broadcast TV on in-home TV sets.

[Please refer to release for graphics illustrating average time spent viewing per month across screens and by demographic.]

Technology in Australian homes

Smartphones are ubiquitous: 75 per cent of Australians aged 16+ now own one, compared to 71 per cent a year ago.

Tablets are in an estimated 47 per cent of homes, which is steady on the past three quarters (42 per cent a year earlier). Reasons for slowing tablet take-up may include the longer tablet lifecycle (people upgrade them less often than they do their phones); increased sharing; adoption of larger-screen smartphones, or ‘phablets’; and laptop innovations such as hybrid touchscreen models.

An estimated 30 per cent of homes have internet-capable TVs (whether connected to the internet or not), up from 27 per cent in Q2 2014.

Household personal video recorder (PVR) penetration has levelled off at 57 per cent.

All Australian TV households can receive digital terrestrial broadcast (DTT) channels; 96 per cent have converted every working household TV set to digital.

Household internet penetration has been steady for the past ten quarters at 80 per cent.
[Please refer to release for graphic on household technology take-up.]

Craig Johnson, Head of Nielsen’s Reach Solutions, Southeast Asia, North Asia and Pacific said: “The continuing march of technology take-up continues to give Australian consumers more ways to view content. 100 per cent of TV homes receive digital terrestrial television (DTT) and 96 per cent can do so on every working TV set in the house; 57 per cent of households have a PVR and now the rise of the second PVR to 16 per cent, with tablet and smartphone ownership continuing to increase. With all this Australians are still watching 82 hours and 42 minutes a month of live TV, showing the unique position the television set still has in households today.”

Regional TAM Chair and NBN Television CEO Deborah Wright said: “The Australian Multi- Screen Report again delivers a comprehensive overview of how Australians are consuming broadcast television and other video. This report highlights that broadcast television continues to dominate and looking at regional viewers specifically, they are spending more than 100 hours each month on average watching television, which is higher than the national average.”

OzTAM CEO Doug Peiffer said: “It’s fascinating to see how Australians are spreading their TV consumption across various platforms and devices. Though live TV watched through the TV set still accounts for the vast majority of viewing, people are increasingly taking control. There is more time-shifted viewing, including 8-28 day playback (which isn’t reported in Consolidated ratings); people are using on-demand services including broadcasters’ catch-up and streaming apps and services, along with other video; and there is more ‘binge viewing’. Together such activities are taking a few minutes each day away from live TV viewing. We will continue to monitor this progressive change.”

Summary of key findings: Q2 (APRIL – JUNE) 2015:

  • Australians watch on average 90 hours and 53 minutes (90:53) of broadcast TV on traditional television sets per month[1] (year-on-year down 6:10 per month).
  • 91% of all broadcast TV viewing is live (82:42) with playback of broadcast content through the TV set within seven days of original broadcast comprising 9% (8:11 per month, up 13 minutes/month YOY).
  • 22.193 million Australians watch broadcast television each month, with average weekly reach at 88% of the population.
  • 100% of Australian television homes can access digital terrestrial television (DTT) channels. 96% can do so on every working household TV set.
  • 57% of homes have PVRs; 16% have two or more (Q2 2014: 55%; 14%).
  • 30% of homes have internet-capable TVs, whether connected or not (Q2 2014: 27%).
  • 47% of homes have tablets (level since Q4 2014, and up from 42% in Q2 2014).
  • 75% of Australians aged 16+ own a smartphone (71% in Q2 2014).
  • Household internet penetration is stable at 80%.
  • Australians spend on average 37:31 per month online[2] (39:27 in Q2 2014).
  •  13.711 million Australians watch some video on the internet each month (including broadcast TV and non-broadcast content): an average of 7:32 per month (down 36 minutes from 8:08 a year ago). Such viewing is highest among people aged 18-24 (14:58 per month)[3].
  • 88% of all video viewing[4] – across all screens, and including broadcast and non-broadcast content – is on the traditional TV set[5]:
  • 90:53 per month on the TV set (88%)
  • 7:32 per month online via PCs/laptops (7.3%)
  • 2:47 per month on smartphones (2.7%)[6]
  • 2:03 per month on tablets (2%)[7]

Sources: Regional TAM, OzTAM, Nielsen.

Source: Fernace Media press release

 

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