THE X-BOXES, PS3s and Wiis of the world are now the home media hub for a large chunk of Canadians, says a new research report.
With almost half (46%) of Canadian households owning one (households with teens are over 80%) as penetration increases, the game console is being transformed from a single-function technology into a media hub – allowing families to access the internet and play video and audio content on the same device they use for traditional gaming according to data from the Spring Media Technology Monitor, which is run by the CBC.
This reinvention of the game console is still in its early stages. Currently, more Canadian game console owners use their consoles for watching DVD/Blu-ray (32%) than for connecting to the internet (28%). As it stands, less than 1 in 10 Canadians watch internet video on their console – however, among those who do, Netflix is the most common type of video streamed, says the report.
It is important to note that not all game consoles are created equal in terms of their potential as a media hub. The MTM shows significant variances in media use between Canadians who own the Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. While the Wii is the most popular game console in Canada, with 29% of Canadians owning one, Wii owners lag behind XBox and PS3 owners in terms of accessing the internet on their console. PS3 owners are currently the most likely to utilize their game consoles to watch video and listen to audio content, leaving room for other companies to more fully promote their consoles as media hubs, says the release.
