Research company Media Technology Monitors (MTM) has identified a growing segment of TV viewers it calls “TV my way,” who watch online via streaming services and have no traditional paid TV subscription.
According to MTM’s latest Media Technology Adoption report, the so-called “TV my way” segment has grown to 12% of Anglophone Canadians from 8% a year ago and 5% in 2012.
While MTM says the “majority” of Anglophone Canadians still subscribe to TV services – a number it pegs at 77% – the subscription market continues to experience declines because of the emergence of online services.
TV subscriptions have fallen slowly but steadily in the past decade, from 88% in 2007 to 85% in 2012. Cable TV penetration, meanwhile, has fallen from 60% in 2008 to 40% in 2015, with MTM predicting further declines as subscribers turn to “competitive offerings” and others re-assess the value of a TV subscription.
Satellite TV penetration, too, has fallen from a high of 27% in 2011 to 16% last year, with MTM saying it will continue to experience “competitive market pressures.”
Nearly half (47%) of Anglophones now have a Netflix subscription, up from 29% in 2013, although the U.S. service now faces competition from the home-grown services Shomi and CraveTV, which have market penetration of 5% and 2% respectively.
The study identified four technologies – TV subscriptions, cable TV, satellite TV and off-air TV – that are declining, while the list of maturing technologies includes PVRs, tablets, streaming audio and HDTV.
More than one fifth (21%) of Anglophones now use streaming audio services like Spotify, up from 19% in 2014, yet nearly one-quarter (23%) continue to listen to terrestrial radio stations online, up from 20% in 2011.
The report also identified the podcast as undergoing a renaissance in recent years, fuelled by the success of breakout hits like Serial. Approximately 24% of Anglophones listened to a podcast last year, up from 11% in 2011.
A reported four of every five Canadians (82%) watched some form of online content in the past month, with 70% watching a YouTube video; 49% watching a TV show or clips; 47% watching news clips and programs and 43% watching a full-length movie.
Wearable technology is among four trends identified as emerging by MTM, along with Chromecast, the engaged social TV viewer and TV my way. Approximately 12% of Anglophones have some form of wearable technology, with the Fitbit the most popular (owned by a reported 7%) of respondents.
The study’s findings are based on a fall 2015 survey of 4,003 Anglophones – including 801 cellphone only – from all regions of the country. The results are considered accurate within plus or minus 1.5% 19 times out of 20.
