Scripted TV, movies top screen time use.

Australians spend more time consuming Scripted Series than Movies, Reality TV, News and Sport according to a recent survey, but they pay closer attention to Movies than Series.

2060 Australians aged 18+ were surveyed in Queensland University of Technology’s “Australia Screen Story Viewing Report: Part 3: Viewing Practices.”

Of those, 72% reported using a paid streaming service.

Across all age groups Scripted Series or Movies accounted for more than half of screen consumption.

Variation by demographic category was limited for most forms. The share of time spent on scripted series was remarkably consistent, with the greatest variance among the youngest viewers’ focus on social media videos and oldest viewers’ devoting more viewing time to reality TV, news, and sports. Women watch a slightly higher share of scripted series (36% women, 32% men), while men watch slightly more reality TV, news, and sports (men 23%, women 20%).

 

The survey asked respondents to allocate the percentage of time they pay close or moderate attention or play shows in the background with focus on other activities. It asked these questions separately for series and movies. The survey found that roughly half of series viewing attracts close attention, while 31% earns moderate attention and 17% is background use. Movies attracted more focused attention and are used less for background. Movie viewing attracted close attention 63% of the time and another quarter of viewing receives moderate attention.

But the survey found that ‘second screen’ use is not a major feature of Australian viewing.

Only 14% of respondents indicated they use other screen devices for a viewing-related activity ‘most of the time’ or ‘often’. In contrast, a quarter of respondents stated that they never use another device while viewing series or movies. These results varied according to demographic factors. Older viewers were much more likely to never use a second device while viewing, while younger viewers (under 44) were somewhat more likely to use a second device. Women ‘never’ used a second device at marginally lower rates (men 27%, women 19%). Viewers in remote Australia were also much less likely to use a second device (41% never).

The full survey is here.