Despite the advent of the PVR, on-demand viewing and streaming VOD services like Netflix and Shomi, live TV remains the “main course” in the Canadian media diet according to new research from Ipsos.
According to the research company’s new Canadian Media Landscape study, “watching” accounts for 2.8 of the 5.6 hours that Canadians spend with media on a daily basis. That total includes 1.4 hours of live TV watching.
The study underscores significant differences in consumption among various age groups however, and cautions marketers against treating millennials as a single entity.
The study found, for example, that “watching” accounts for 33% of daily media activity among so-called “trailing” millennials (people 18-24), compared with 46% among “leading” millennials 25-32. By contrast, it accounts for 49% of media consumption among Gen X’ers and 57% among baby boomers.
Only 7% of trailing millennials’ watching is to live TV, while 18% is to streamed or downloaded content. By contrast, 16% of leading millennials’ watching is to live TV, compared with 22% of Gen X watching and 38% of Baby Boomer watching.
The report said leading millennials are closer in life stage to younger Gen Xers, particularly as they become more focused on family and career.
“Brands need to recognize they could be missing the mark by considering millennials as a whole – trailing and leading millennials do vary in their media behaviour,” said Mary Beth Barbour, senior vice-president with Ipsos Reid in Toronto.
While noting that trailing millennials spend more time browsing, gaming and social networking than any other segment, Barbour urged brands to be cautious in their marketing approach. She said any consideration being given to abandoning TV advertising entirely is “short sighted.”
The findings are based on interviews with 11,300 Canadians.
