While the vast majority of Canadians (82%) continue to watch linear TV on a traditional TV set, a new report from Media Technology Monitor (MTM) suggests an ongoing shift in how viewers are discovering content.
The report, Discoverability: How Canadians Find TV Content, says that more than half (56%) of Canadians 18+ now watch TV online, while 40% use an over-the-top streaming service such as Netflix, and nearly one-fifth (19%) watch full-length shows on YouTube.
According to MTM, 82% of TV viewing is now live, down from 89% in 2014, with DVR playback increasing from 6% of hours watched to 9% in the same period. Internet viewing during that time period also doubled, from 5% to 10%.
More than one-third (38%) of Canadians say that finding TV content to watch is easy (with 20% saying it is very easy), although there are differences in how different demographics discover content.
The report says the average Canadian now uses three different methods for discovering TV content, with word-of-mouth (59%), paid advertising on TV or radio (40%) and trailers/clips (37%) the most common methods.
The report also reveals variances among different demographics, with millennials more likely to discover shows via recommendations from their friends (39% versus 27% for the Canadian population as a whole) and via social media updates from non-friends (13% versus 5%).
Only 9% of millennials cited traditional TV or radio advertising as a primary method of discovery, compared with 17% for the Canadian population and 20% for the non-millennial population. In addition, only 2% cited a service’s provider’s TV channel guide as a discovery tool, compared with 11% of the population as a whole.
Households with children under 12 are also more likely to discover content via recommendations from friends (35% versus 27% for the population as a whole) and a slightly more likely to use trailers/clips (12% versus 8% for the population as a whole).
Nearly half of Canadians (44%) use either paid or earned media as a primary source for discovering new content.
The survey results are based on interviews with 4,349 Canadians and are considered accurate within plus or minus 1.5% 19 times out of 20.
