Advanced Television

Research: Apple TV+ targets 17m+ Aussies

April 8, 2019

Apple’s new Apple TV+ streaming TV service is debuting later this year into a crowded, and growing, streaming TV market in Australia, according to Roy Morgan Research. The firm says the potential market for Apple TV+ is huge. Over 17 million (83.4 per cent of Australians 14+) currently access streaming video services or own Apple-branded devices capable of accessing streaming video devices.

The market of over 17 million includes over 14.7 million (71.8 per cent) Australians who already use streaming video services such as Netflix, Stan, ABC iView and others who would be interested in a new Apple TV+ streaming service as well as nearly 11.7 million (57 per cent) Australians who own Apple iPhones, iPad, Apple Mac etc. running Apple iOS operating systems and use Apple services and apps capable of accessing the new Apple TV+ streaming TV service.

Analysing this potential market by Generation shows the biggest potential for Apple TV+ is with the 4.6 million Millennials who use streaming services or use an Apple device capable of streaming.

This is closely followed by the over 4 million members of Gen Z and just under 4 million members of Gen X who use streaming services or use an Apple device capable of streaming.

Nearly 60 per cent of the over 17 million Australians who currently access a streaming video service or use an Apple device capable of streaming TV watch the News in an average week, far ahead of any other TV genre.

Second most popular is Reality TV watched by 39 per cent of Apple users while just under a third of Apple users watch Current Affairs shows (32 per cent), Sport (31 per cent), Quiz/ Game Shows (30 per cent) or Dramas (30 per cent).

Just over a quarter of Apple users watch Home/ Lifestyle/ Travel shows (28 per cent), Comedies (27 per cent) or Documentaries/ Docos (27 per cent) and just under a fifth watch Chat shows (19 per cent).

According to Michele Levine, Chief Executive Officer, Roy Morgan, the launch of Apple TV+ later in 2019 is set to add even more competition to the streaming TV market that has grown enormously in Australia over the past five years. “The increasingly competitive streaming TV market is about to get even more cut-throat with the impending entry of the world’s first trillion dollar company to the market. Apple TV+ will be able to draw upon Apple’s immense war chest of over USD240 billion [€214bn] to create content which Apple announced as ‘cash on hand’ at the end of 2018.”

“There is already a large audience of over 17 million Australians (83.4 per cent of Australians aged 14+) that Apple can target who already access streaming TV services or use Apple devices and apps capable of accessing streaming TV services.”

“Roy Morgan has closely followed the success of Netflix in capturing a market of over 11 million Australians after launching just over four years ago in March 2015 and in recent years competition in the streaming TV market has increased with streaming services offered by the likes of Stan, YouTube Premium and Amazon Prime Video launching and being adopted by millions of Australians.”

“To really make a success of the new Apple TV+ streaming TV service in Australia Apple will need to understand the unique dynamics and preferences that drive Australian TV audiences to choose their favourite content.”

“Analysing Roy Morgan’s in-depth media data for Australian users of streaming TV services and Apple devices shows that it is News which is the most widely watched genre. Nearly 60 per cent of Australians accessing streaming services or using Apple devices watch News in an average week well clear of second placed Reality TV seen by 39 per cent.”

“Other popular TV genres for Australians who access streaming TV services or who use Apple devices include Current Affairs shows (32 per cent), Sport (31 per cent), Dramas (30 per cent) and Quiz/ Game shows (30 per cent).”

“To fully grasp what shows appeal to difference audience segments requires a deeper analysis of Roy Morgan’s extensive demographic and media habits data which is collected from over 50,000 Australians per year from the Roy Morgan Single Source survey.”

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