2022 survey: Online subscription up, Free to Air viewing down.
Online subscription services were the leading type of platform for screen content in Australia in 2022, according to a govt survey.
- Published by David Knox
- on
- Filed under News, Top Stories
Viewing of online subscription platforms is up while Commercial Free to Air and Public Broadcasting is down, according to a new survey.
The federal government has released the results of two concurrent surveys: the 2022 Media Content Consumption Survey, and a new Television Consumer Survey, which explores the attitudes, expectations and behaviours of Australians towards accessing screen content via TVs and connected TV devices.
A total of 5017 people respondents aged 18+ (Parents / guardians /carers of children aged 0 to 15 years) completed surveys during September and October 2022.
Online subscription services were the leading type of platform for screen content in Australia in 2022 at 66% of respondents, maintaining the trend seen in 2021.
Free video streaming services followed (58%), then commercial free-to-air TV (excluding on-demand TV) at 53%.
Publicly owned free-to-air was watched by 41%, while 34% watched publicly owned free-to-air on-demand TV. Almost half (49%) of respondents indicated they watched screen content on ‘other websites or apps’.
On average, households pay for 2.40 online subscription services, however, on average households indicated they accessed 2.63 services. The number of households with access to at least one online subscription service remains stable in 2022 (81%) compared to 2021 (79%).
Also of note, in 2022 the use of ‘other websites or apps (e.g., Facebook, Tik Tok, Instagram)’ has increased significantly (watched past 7 days), while pay-per-view has declined significantly.
In 2022, ‘other websites or apps (e.g., Facebook, Tik Tok, Instagram)’ increased significantly, while Pay-per-view has declined since 2021.
Which of the following did you watch in the last 7 days?
‘NET: Online’ includes: ‘Online subscription services’, ‘Free video streaming services’, ‘Other websites or apps’, and ‘Sports specific website or app’.
‘NET: Free-to-air’ includes: ‘Commercial free-to-air TV’, ‘Publicly owned free-to-air TV’, and ‘Free-to-air catch-up TV’. (In 2022 ‘Free to air’ was split out by on-demand and live TV).
In terms of access, the primary online streaming subscription service respondents have access to was Netflix (68%). In 2022, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, Binge, Kayo and Paramount+ have all significantly increased.
Just over half of respondents indicated that online subscription streaming services have enough Australian content (53%), while almost one in five say it is difficult (15%) or very difficult (2%) to find Australian content on streaming services.
Which subscription streaming service does your household have access to?
Average weekly viewing time:
Pay TV: 9.51 hours
Commercial free to air TV (excluding on demand): 9.08 hours
Online subscription services: 8.16 hours
Both surveys will help to inform the Government’s media reform agenda, including consideration of the final design for a prominence framework for connected TV devices.
Results show that use of and engagement with television is changing as new technology enters the market:
- The feature that Australians ranked as most important to consider when buying a new TV was that it is internet-enabled (29 per cent).
- However, access to free-to-air TV remains an important factor in Australians’ choice of TV model or connected device – a majority said that this was either somewhat or very important (68 per cent) in making this choice.
- Access to free-to-air television is also primarily through traditional means, with 59 per cent of Australians who watch any kind of free-to-air TV using a broadcast signal or antenna. However, access via the internet is also significant, with 53 per cent in total using on-demand TV apps.
Minister for Communications, Michelle Rowland said, “The trends found in the Television Consumer Survey and Media Content Consumption Survey results are important and relevant to media policy and the progression of the Australian Government’s program of media reform.
“Evidence to inform the Government’s understanding of the media landscape is essential as we develop and implement an ambitious long-term agenda for media reform.
“Results of the Television Consumer Survey show the continued importance of making free-to-air services available and accessible to Australians. These results will assist the Government in considering how to implement our commitment to legislate a prominence framework for connected TV devices.”
13 Responses
Only 9 hours a week. I watch that much in a day! How do people fit in all product out there today though? It’s ridiculous. I like FTA still because I grew up that way, I have streaming services too, I remember you had about 20 shows to choose from last century. Now there are 1000s of tv shows out there. It’s mind blowing!
Watching streaming apps on mobile phones is quite popular, so it would be interesting to have a list of the devices most often used when watching different streaming apps, it will also provide a clue for the steady decline of FTA broadcasting in recent years, linear TV is a bit like AM radio, it still has a function in our widespread communities, but the question is for how long with the increase of satellite internet services like Starlink becoming available in remote areas. Stan seems to be doing okay, but what boost does their sports coverage (partnered with Nine) give their subscription numbers?. Disney+ must feel reasonably satisfied with their subscriber numbers in Australia, but looking at the bigger picture Disney+ is still losing big money in the USA with no end in sight, unless Disney+ is sold. Prospectively, I believe Foxtel will need to review their business status in coming years if it wants to continue.
Yeah Disney made a huge miscalculation of what their products are worth and shot themselves in the foot.
What they have done is put all the costs on them, whereas before once say the Films came off the Rental circuit (Google Play, iTunes, Disney, Amazon here Fetch, ), they lost on the bidding contest to get first run rights to show the film. They lost Amazon Prime or Netflix or a Cable Network or whomever wanting those Films (or TV Shows) and willing to out bid the competition for it (worldwide). Something it seems Warner Bros Discovery may have learnt from, HBO, Max Originals, Warner Bros. and Discovery shows to Foxtel and rather than setting up their own streamer here.
All costs for Disney are to be made up inhouse now, all good and well thinking you can have a walled garden of Disney and it’s offshoots products, it’s another to pull it off. Probably thought they could ground the competition into the ground and say for example end up owning Netflix, not that easy to do.
I only watch FTA…no FTA…then I will watch Youtube….iview…SBS OnDemand….or the other channels catch up…assuming they stay?…
US pay…my friend has no TV….as she could not justify the cost for what little she watched….but she till can find plenty of movies etc….btw…do people really watch TV all day?
What are the “Free video streaming services” we have ? only can think of Tubi
Should include YouTube, not sure where catch up sites sit but possibly these.
There’s Plex and if you have a Library Card Kanopy and if your Library is with it BeamaFilm that as well, Plex is not bad have been rewatching Farscape and The Commish on that lately. Quite a bit of older stuff as well like The Fugitive TV Series, the Live TV side is a bit Hit and Miss (more miss for me). There are a few niche ones around as well like Pro Wrestling TV and a few on the TV Channels side of Twitch as well, pretty much all I watch with the Aust Catch-Up ones (well they’re more than catch-up now really), YouTube and Tubi.
It’s all enough for me, can’t afford to pay streamers due to personal circumstances I won’t go in to but honestly wouldn’t be enough time in the day to watch them really. Prefer to read these days more, so with an ERedaer and a Library Card that’s my main entertainment source now as that’s free as well.
I would check out the app section in your TV’s Android operating system (should you have one, LG have their own operating system and a reasonable amount of app options), the better app choices can be limited but it depends on what genre preferences you like, but be warned, you may need to sign up for the better content using some apps.
I watch all my FTA from my recording on my Fetch box , I have multiple apps , but still prefer FTA to watch
Majority of shows I watch are on a streaming service. At least it can be guaranteed that a show can be watched any time you prefer with out it being bumped to another time or to a multiple channel with out any prior notice
My entire Sunday was spent streaming the multiple apps I have ,FTA is but a few hours a week if that.
Not that surprised the free to air is down. The tv stations run so many repeats and sometimes repeats of repeats ( and often in prime time) Surely they can find shows to put on that have not been seen before.
They can’t get new shows because those are behind paywalls, and even if they weren’t people are unlikely to watch them unless they are MAFS, Love Island, Temptation Island or MILF Manor. When repeats of Doc Martin, Morse and Call The Midwife rate almost as much as new eps of NCIS why wouldn’t they show the cheaper repeats? FTA is continuing to decline and streaming up because people are paying to watch shows that interest them, without ads, whenever they want. Streaming isn’t a picnic either. Netflix may be leading but it’s growth has plateaued and now it has to generate a return on investment and it’s first advertising trials were 50-70% below expectation and account sharing is still rife. Disney+’s subscribers have dropped and they have launched a massive cost cutting program. Others are small and less profitable.