Nielsen: Streaming Continues To Increase

According to Nielsen, overall total media use among U.S. adults remains unchanged year-over-year at 10-and-a-half hours per day. But there are shifts in were that time being spent is dedicated to.

Nielsen sees increases in Internet connected devices and app/web smartphone usage that are gradually replacing time spent on other sources. These shifts are not surprising, as nearly seven out of 10 homes now have a device capable of streaming content, and a similar amount have access to a streaming SVOD service.

In the latest edition of the Nielsen Total Audience Report, Nielsen reports year-over-year comparisons of media use to show how consumer behaviors have shifted across comparable measurement intervals. In addition to the standard penetration estimates of devices and household types, a look at how digital consumption has evolved in the past year is included as well as insights into the influencing factors that shape the consumers journey as they access streaming audio and video content.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THIS Q3 2018 SUMMARY INCLUDE:

• U.S. Adults spend 10 hours and 30 minutes per day connected to media, the same amount as one year ago
• Recommendations are a main influence on video and audio streaming
• Adults 50-64 spend more time per day on media than any other age group
• Adults 18-34 spend over one-third of their daily media usage on smartphones
• Black adults spend nearly 13 hours per day across all media
• Internet Connected Device/Smart TV app usage experienced the largest year-over-year growth in Q3 2018
• 92% of U.S. adults listen to radio each week
• vMVPDS exist in 3.7% of all TV households as of September 2018
• Enabled smart TV ownership had the largest year-over-year growth for all races and ethnicities

While time spent across all platforms has remained steady at 10 hours and 30 minutes since Q3 2017, Nielson notes some interesting patterns are emerging across different age groups that hint at the future of media usage. Time spent per day increased among adults age 18-34 and 65+ but decreased year-over-year among adults 35-49 and 50-64. Additionally, time spent on TV-connected devices and app/web on smartphones increased across all demographic groups. Time per day on smartphones increased by 23 minutes for both adults 18-34—more than any other group or platform, while live+time-shifted TV and Internet on a computer experienced the largest declines across all age groups.

Examining the share of time spent on each platform by age gives additional insights into how users are consuming media. Adults 18-34 spend 47% of their time on digital platforms and 37% watching TV and TV-connected devices, compared to 42% digital and 40% TV and TV-connected devices in Q3 2017. Adults ages 50-64, who spend the most overall time across all platforms of any age group, spend 51% of their time watching TV and TV-connected devices and 31% on digital platforms.

Regardless of age, tablet usage makes up 7% of time across all groups while radio consistently accounts for between 15 and 18% of daily media use