The latest bi-annual ThinkTV Fact Pack highlights the continued evolution of television as Aussies embrace the full suite of viewing options offered across screens and devices.
The evolution of television is happening right now in homes across Australia as data from OzTAM confirms Aussies still love live appointment viewing TV, they’re simply watching it differently.
Data from OzTAM shows Australians are now consuming 47 million hours of live-streamed Broadcaster Video on Demand (BVOD) programming every month.
That’s one of the key takeaways from the latest ThinkTV Fact Pack which is now available for download here.
The theme is writ large in the Fact Pack with multiple data points highlighting the changing ways audiences are consuming TV programs.
It starts with screens and OzTAM data reveals the average Australian household now has 6.7 video-capable screens.
While that’s the average home, there are plenty of above-average homes that boast even more devices with many of those screens in pockets, on desktops or, most often, in people’s hands.
When it comes to viewing habits in the home, OzTAM data shows that Total TV – that’s the combination of linear broadcast and Broadcaster Video on Demand (BVOD) – accounts for a massive 74.7 per cent of in-home video viewing.
That leaves just 15.3 per cent of Streaming Video on Demand (SVOD) and 9.9 per cent for social video (TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube combined). And when we look at ad-supported in-home viewing – the most important to advertisers – Total TV commands a massive 88.3 per cent.
While linear TV continues to command an enviable audience with the average Aussie consuming 49 hours and 21 minutes of linear TV every month, there’s also a huge swathe of live TV watchers getting their fix via BVOD apps 7plus, 9Now, 10 Play, Foxtel Go, Foxtel Now and Kayo.
In fact, when we look at live BVOD consumption versus catch-up or time-shifted viewing on these platforms, BVOD viewers are now watching almost as much live broadcast content as on demand.
It’s little wonder given 68 per cent of Australian homes now own an internet-capable TV set.
Live streaming on BVOD is fast becoming a fan favourite with many Australian viewers no longer differentiating between the two.
Breaking down BVOD viewing by device type, connected TV is the clear favourite with more than 70 per cent of viewing attributed to CTVs than laptops, tablets and mobiles. On a day-to-day basis, CTV attracts a mammoth 2.8 million BVOD hours versus 409,000 on laptops, 314,000 on tablets and 317,000 on mobile.
Event TV – like the Tokyo Olympics – are bellwether events driving the change to live stream viewing via BVOD devices. While the Games delivered record-breaking usage of BVOD live streaming, once Australians got a taste, BVOD viewership continued to increase by an average of 20.7 per cent year on year. And OzTAM data on co-viewing shows that three or more people were watching BVOD together 20 per cent of the time, a figure that continues to increase.
The takeaway for marketers is that TV is TV, whether it comes from a set plugged into a TV cable or a connected TV playing a BVOD app.
So who are the people watching all this BVOD? Women aged 25-to-54 are the largest demographic followed closely by men 25-to-54.
And the most popular content genres are drama and reality television followed by news and current affairs and children’s programming.
In addition to audience growth, advertising investment in BVOD is seeing rapid increases with revenue up 44 per cent to $208 million for the six months to 30 June 2022 and BVOD revenue for the total financial year $426 million, up 53 per cent year-on-year.
Audiences and advertisers alike are embracing Total TV with BVOD extending the linear TV experience viewers have come to know and love.
By putting Total TV on their media plans, advertisers maintain the ability to deliver high-velocity reach with the added opportunity to target advertising and drive consumers through the purchase funnel.
To find out more about how Australians are embracing Total TV, download the ThinkTV Fact Pack here. It’s full of nickable graphs and charts for your next presentation.
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