Australia ranks third in global Digital Media use

Australia is the world’s third-highest consumer of digital media, with the average person spending 16.48 hours consuming it every week, according to a report by PQ Media.

UK tops the ranking with average person spending 16.87 hours per week, followed by South Korea in second place at 16.58 average hours. It is interesting to note that Australia is ahead of both Canada (15.15 hours) and the US (14.92 hours) and is only fractions behind its counterparts in the UK and South Korea.

Russia and India had the second- and third-largest increase in digital media use.

The report by PQ Media titled ‘Global Consumer Media Usage & Exposure Forecast 2014-18’ predicts that global use of digital media will grow 12.3% during 2014 to a global average of 6.5 hours per week. Rising global demand from iGens, Millennials and GenXers for mobile video, social media and videogames; online video and books; and over-the-top (OTT) video will further push up consumer digital media usage.

PQ Media classifies digital media into three broad categories that are ‘internet media’, ‘mobile media’ and ‘other digital media’l and 21 specific media channels, including online and mobile video, online and mobile social media, online, mobile and console videogames, and digital OTT video.

“Surging OTT usage has spurred diverse reaction among Pay TV providers, as they unleashed new VOD service upgrades, made more content available via VOD faster, and are driving a new wave DVR services, particularly in Europe,” said Patrick Quinn, CEO, PQ Media. The years 2013 and 2014 were all about mobile, but “OTT has become the media darling in 2014” as subscription-based streaming video services thrive, he said.

Of the three main types, consumer mobile media experienced the fastest rise in usage in 2013 with a 24% increase globally. Internet media was the most used digital media type, with consumers spending an average of 2.58 hours using it weekly. Traditional media usage slightly increased 1.3% in 2013 to 37.99 hours per week, a slight deceleration from 2012.

The five heaviest users of digital media have the following characteristics in common:

High penetration rates for broadband internet access exceeding 70%,
More than 50% smartphone penetration rates,
Growing demand for computer tablets and e-readers,
Rise in video games usage,
Advanced markets for digital out-of-home (DOOH) networks including indoor and outdoor signage.

The updated and enhanced Global Consumer Usage of Digital Media Forecast 2014-18 delivers media consumption data from the 2008-13 period, growth pacing for 2014, and the outlook for 2015-18 for a complex and shifting digital and traditional media ecosystem, driven by digital transformation. The detailed report offers organized datasets across dozens of key digital & traditional media sectors, platforms and channels by region, country and cultural generation, with deep dives into the Top 15 Global Markets.

Top 15 Global Markets with high Digital Media Usage