Advanced Television

26% of Kiwis watch TV on other devices

April 1, 2016

While New Zealanders increasingly use mobile devices to watch video content, 3.2 million New Zealanders aged 10+ (84 per cent) are viewing over 23 hours of broadcast TV through their TV sets across a week. In comparison, online New Zealanders spend 15 hours per week using the Internet.

The latest New Zealand Multi-Screen Report by Nielsen, covering trends of Kiwi video viewing, reveals that around a quarter (26 per cent) of New Zealanders watch TV content through other devices (not a TV set) in an average week. Besides the TV set, the most popular devices for watching video content across a week are desktops/laptops (39 per cent), smartphones (27 per cent) and tablets (18 per cent). Mobile phones and Smart TVs had the biggest year-on-year growth.

TV broadcasters are custodians of quality content and able to reach the most people. New Zealanders sitting in front of the telly are not planning on cutting the cord any time soon. Savvy content providers have recognised supplementing traditional TV by integrating content across connected devices delivers to consumer demand to watch content anytime, anywhere, on any screen.

People are engaging with their TV sets more than ever. They are either watching broadcast content or using it for other purposes, such as gaming and browsing the internet, for an average total of five hours a day in 2015. New Zealanders aged 15-29 have the highest proportion of other TV use, however for every minute they spend doing this, they are watching more than two minutes of broadcast TV content.

While Kiwis are making use of personal video recorders (PVRs) to watch their favourite TV shows and movies at a time that suits them, 90 per cent of TV broadcast viewing time continues to be live (watching when the programme airs). Of the 10 per cent of content that is time-shifted 70 per cent is watched within 24 hours of broadcast.

PVR ownership, now in more than one-in-two homes (55 per cent), is levelling off. This compares to smartphone and tablet owners who have grown 40 per cent over the last two years.  These connected devices, along with Smart TVs, can be used to access TV catch-up services and add to the convenience audiences’ desire.

Categories: Articles, Broadcast, Connected TV, Consumer Behaviour, Equipment, Mobile, Mobile TV, OTT, OTT, Portable Media, Research, VOD