TORONTO – While 78% of all of us are consuming video entertainment over the Internet, 91% of those aged 18-34 report doing the same according to CTAM Canada’s latest research on the Multi-Screen Viewing Experience in Canada.
While broadcast TV is still the dominant player, the use of alternative platforms for viewing video content is substantial as those with no television service providers (85%) and males (82%) drive online viewing.
While watching video content on a portable device currently falls far below computers, reaching 24% nationally, this category grew sharply from 10% in 2010. Highest uptake was among males (29%, up from 12% in 2010), and among 18-34 year-olds (42%, up from 19% in 2010).
Overall, content viewed most on computers are music and YouTube clips (at 72%, down from 78% in 2010), followed by long-form content such as movies and series (53%, down from 57% in 2010), and short-form content such as news (44%, down from 45% in 2010). Mobile phone devices remain by far the most frequently used portable devices used for watching video content, led by iPhones (41% vs. 31% in 2010), Blackberrys (21% vs. 13% in 2010), and other smart phones (16% vs. 8% in 2010).
As well, 35% of Canadians have accessed online content related to TV programming they were watching at the time (up from 31% in 2010) and among those respondents, web sites related to the TV program were accessed by 72% (down from 77% in 2010), and web sites related generally to the content of the TV program were visited by 58% (down from 69% in 2010) and social media sites such as Facebook group/fan pages were accessed by 42% (up from 26% in 2010).
"This research shows that Canadian consumers view video content through an expanding number of devices and platforms that allow the customer to take advantage of both place shifting and time shifting technologies,” said David Purdy, president of CTAM Canada and vice-president, video products at Rogers Communications.
“Although linear broadcast on the TV continues to have the dominant share of video viewing, a growing number of customers now watch a percentage of their content on video enabled portable devices. The development of new multi-platform distribution strategies will enable Canadian Cable operators to meet the ever changing needs of their diverse customer bases.”
The data for this study was obtained from an online survey conducted among 2,098 Canadians, aged 18+, from June 23rd – July 6th, 2011. Data have been weighted according to age, gender and region to reflect the population of Canadian adults. Weights have also been applied to bring cable/satellite subscription status (analog cable, digital cable, telco TV, satellite, no cable or satellite) in line with known incidence levels. Results are considered accurate to +/- 2.2%.
