CALGARY – Canadians are getting increasingly likely to be using their laptops or mobile devices to access the Internet while they watch television, says a new study released today by Ipsos Reid.
The study says that 44% of Canadians are now multi-tasking while the TV or radio is on in the background.
“(T)his is a very interesting finding in itself, particularly from an advertiser’s perspective,” said Mark Laver, the study’s author, in a release. “With such a high degree of multi-tasking occurring, how can an advertiser (online or offline) be sure their message is getting through? Keeping this in mind, advertisers and media companies need to ensure that they have the appropriate tracking mechanisms as well as unique and different material in order to break through in this cluttered environment.”
According to the report, entitled “Online Media: All Change” online Canadians spend, on average, almost equal amounts of time on the Internet and watching television – approximately 15 hours each. Both of those measures remain essentially unchanged from early 2007. Online Canadians spend an additional 10 hours each week listening to the radio, while only three hours a week reading a newspaper.
The release did not break down how much of that time is spent with TV web sites or online newspaper readership.
“The fact that Internet usage has caught up with and is keeping pace with television watching is just another indication of how rapidly online Canadians’ entertainment habits are changing. For many companies a multi-channel strategy is imperative for meeting the demands of today’s operating environment,” added Laver.
Laver cautions that habits of the younger generation, aged 18-34, show that the time online versus TV or radio will not stay even for long. “This segment of the population is spending significantly more time online and significantly less time watching television than their older counterparts. Those aged 18-34 are spending 18.4 hours online each week, compared to 13.6 hours and 14.2 hours for those aged 35-54 and those aged 55+, respectively,” reads the release.
Further evidence as to some of the struggles being faced by traditional media companies in the Internet age: 40% of online Canadians do not read magazines, 19% do not read a newspaper and 15% do not listen to the radio.
The release did not break down though where exactly those online Canadians are headed while they surf.
“We are living in an era of massive change. All companies need to understand how the Internet is affecting their business and build strategies on how to deal with this change. The consequences for those that fail will be severe,” concluded Laver.
This report, done between October 21 and 26, 2008, was an online survey of 2,644 Canadian adults was conducted via the Ipsos I-Say Online Panel, Ipsos Reid’s national online panel. The results are based on a sample where quota sampling and weighting are employed to balance demographics and ensure that the sample’s composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to Census data. Quota samples with weighting from the Ipsos online panel provide results that are intended to approximate a probability sample. An unweighted probability sample of this size, with a 100% response rate, would have an estimated margin of error of +/- 1.9 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
