For the first time since 2017, less than half of Australians watched free-to-air (FTA) TV (excluding catch-up TV), and almost as many watched FTA streaming services (BVOD) in 2024, according to ACMA's annual Communications and media in Australia series.
While use of FTA streaming services held steady following a period of growth, FTA TV (excluding catch-up) continues its trend of declining (down 46% from 52% in 2023). The decline in overall FTA TV viewership was accompanied by a decline in the average time spent viewing in the previous week, down to 4.8 hours from 5.6 in 2023.
YouTube remains the number one service used for video content (paid or free), with over half of Australians (57%) now watching content on the platform, followed by Netflix (53%), in the previous week.
There were also increases for most online video services, including Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, Facebook and Instagram Reels.
Nine in 10 Australians (91%) used an online service to watch video content in a given week, up from 83% in 2023. Viewership of paid subscription services also increased (up 69% from 66% in 2023).
Australians are also using more services to watch video content, increasing the number used to 4.3 services, up from 3.6 in 2023.
On the listening front, 2024 saw further declines in overall radio listenership, with 65% having listened to radio in the previous week (down from 69% in 2023). Declines were seen for both AM (down 20% from 23%) and FM radio (down 52% from 56%).
More online music streaming services are being used, with listening increasing to 73% from 70% in 2023. Spotify remains the most popular service to stream for both music (66%) and podcasts (56%).
People who stream music via an online service spend more time listening each week (9.5 hours on average) than those listening via radio (7.6 hours on average).
The research is comprised of five reports which have all been published on the ACMA website.
The Trends and Developments reports provide insights into the telecommunications and media industries, including the take up and usage of services and industry activities, while the ‘How we’ publications are interactive online reports which explore the ongoing changes to the Australian media and communications landscape.
The series draws on industry data and ACMA's annual consumer survey to provide an overview of the telecommunications, radiocommunications and broadcasting sectors each financial year.
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