People will spend an average of 506 minutes a day consuming media by 2017, according to a first-of-its-kind report from global media services firm ZenithOptimedia.
The Media Consumption Forecasts 2015 says people around the world will spend an average of 492 minutes a day consuming media this year, a 1.4% increase from 485 minutes in 2014. Not surprisingly, the growth is coming from internet use, which is predicted to increase 11.8% this year.
The amount of time people spent using the internet has increased from 59.6 minutes per day in 2010 to 109.5 minutes in 2014. At the same time, the amount of time allocated to traditional media has shrunk from 402.2 minutes per day to 375.8 minutes, with every traditional media source except out-of-home experiencing a decline.
Newspapers have suffered the most, with the average time spent reading falling 25.6% between 2010 and 2014, and the report calling for annual shrinkage of 4.7% through 2017. Time spent with magazines fell 19% between 2010 and 2014, with predictions calling for an annual decline of 4.4% throughout the forecast period. TV is predicted to decline by 1.6% a year.
It is important to note, however, that the report refers only to time spent with the various media in their traditional form, and does not include online brand extensions.
The report also notes that exposure to outdoor advertising is rising, increasing 1.2% between 2010 and 2014, from 106 to 107.2 minutes per day. The report attributes the growth to more out-of-home displays, increased migration to cities in emerging markets, and a greater willingness by consumers to spend their leisure time out of home.
Canadian media consumption exceeds the global average, with the report pegging consumption to hit 510.7 minutes per day by 2017. The report notes that Canadian media consumption is growing at a rate of 5.9% a year.
Internet use grew from 88.2 minutes per day in 2010 to 166.3 minutes in 2014, and is expected to reach 206.8 minutes by 2017. Mobile internet use, which stood at a modest 31.6 minutes per day in 2012 – four years after the iPhone ushered in the smartphone era in Canada – is expected to hit 100.8 minutes per day by 2017.
“Exclusive content that is only distributed online is forcing Canadians to find those specific executions through online applications, as offline media cannot provide equivalent access,” the report states.
The report notes that millennials in particular show significant increases in internet consumption at the expense of offline media.
TV consumption is expected to fall to 224 minutes per day in 2017, from its 2010 high of 240 minutes, while radio is projected to fall to 63 minutes per day from 87.4 minutes in 2010.
Newspapers are expected to account for 12.7 minutes per day of media activity in 2017, down from 16.5 minutes in 2010, while magazines are forecast to drop to 4.2 minutes per day from 6.4 minutes in 2010.
Last year, Canadian TV viewing peaked at 262 minutes per day in February, coinciding with the approaching season finales and a population that tends to stay indoors more because of inclement weather and/or a lack of need to spend. TV viewing fell to 209 minutes per day in August, before picking up with the introduction of the new fall schedule in September.
Consumption of the internet peaked at 142 minutes per day in October, which the report attributes to exclusive online content being made available later in the year.
The proliferation of video-on-demand services like Shomi and Crave are also driving an increase in online video viewing, with younger Canadians and those with higher household incomes tending to favour online platforms at the expense of offline media.
In Canada, TV’s reach among people 2+ peaks between 9 and 9:59 p.m., when it reaches 61.3% of the population. Radio’s reach peaks at 55.3% of the population between 8 and 8:59 a.m., and spikes again to 53.9% of the population between 4 and 4:49 p.m.
The report also notes that the advent of mobile wearables such as the Apple Watch, combined with new technology platforms such as virtual reality, is also expected to further increase internet consumption.
