Finland: TV habits evolving
May 30, 2018
Finnish cable TV and ISP firm DNA asked surveyed thousand residents about how they consume media and use the Internet. While the majority, some 58 per cent, said they still have a traditional TV set in their homes, people in Finland are increasing their usage of on-demand video services like Netflix, HBO Nordic or domestic-based video streaming outlets like Yle Areena and Viaplay.
Some 80 per cent of respondents said they own a laptop computer and some 60 per cent said they use a tablet. Some 39 per cent of respondents said they have a TV cable box which can record programmes in their households, which is a slight decline from last year.
TVs, tablets, smartphones and computers
The survey suggests that people are using more screen-time to watch movies, sport and TV shows in lieu of spending time on social media platforms. Roughly one-fifth of respondents said they are spending more time watching programmes on streaming platforms like YouTube, Vimeo and other online sites.
Nearly half of respondents (47 per cent) said they watched online videos via their laptop or desktop computers and about a third said they watch TV on smartphones on a weekly basis.
The increased streaming figures are backed up by DNA’s mobile network usage data. During the first quarter of this year their mobile customers downloaded on average some 20.85 GB of data each, while the year before that figure averaged at just below 15 GB per customer.
Social media popular with women
The most popular social media services in Finland, according to the survey, were Facebook and chat platform WhatsApp (also owned by Facebook).
Closely following was the ubiquitous video streaming service YouTube, and the photo sharing site Instagram (another Facebook property).
A report on the survey said that women more often used Facebook on a daily basis, while men were more drawn to YouTube every day.
The use of Facebook remains popular among women, but Facebook’s overall popularity showed a slight decline. Part of the survey was carried out amid the Facebook and Cambridge Analytical data scandal made headlines.
Younger users watch online
The most active users of social media on mobile, perhaps unsurprisingly, belong to those between the ages of 15-24, who said they used apps like YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat and WhatsApp.
However, some 40 per cent in the 35-44 age bracket said they also use YouTube daily.
Use of the photo-based, mobile social media platform Snapchat has doubled since 2016 to some 12 per cent of respondents, the survey found.