Internet technology may have significantly impacted media consumption trends over the last decade, but the pace of change is slowing, Zenith says.
Following several years of increases in daily media consumption, boosted by new devices and content delivery methods, 2017 is expected to be flat, followed by gains of under 1 percent a year till 2019.
While internet use continues to increase, traditional media—printed newspapers and magazines, broadcast television and radio, cinema and outdoor advertising—will still account for almost 70 percent of global media consumption this year, according to Zenith.
The Media Consumption Forecasts report indicates that people will spend an average of 316 minutes per day with traditional media this year, down from 36 in 2010. Broadcast TV is the largest single medium for consumption, with 170 minutes viewed per day, as compared with 140 minutes for the internet. “We expect it to remain dominant for the rest of our forecast period,” Zenith says. However, the gap between television and internet consumption is getting smaller, from 30 minutes in 2017 to seven minutes in 2019.
In 2019, mobile internet use will average 122 minutes a day, or 26 percent of global media consumption. Between 2010 and 2016, mobile internet consumption rose by 44 percent a year. “Some of this extra consumption time was cannibalized from traditional media, but the spread of mobile technology has given a boost to overall media consumption by allowing users to access more media, in more places, and at more times than ever before,” Zenith says. “Now that mobile devices have taken a central role in so many people’s lives, the growth in mobile internet use is slowing, and with it the growth in media consumption overall.”
Jonathan Barnard, head of forecasting at Zenith, noted, “Mobile technology has thoroughly disrupted consumers’ media habits in less than a decade. The pace of change is now slowing—at least until the next disruptive technology takes off.”
“Consumers now expect to be able to communicate and transact with brands at the time and place of their choosing,” added Vittorio Bonori, Zenith’s global brand president.“Brands need to respond to and anticipate changes in media behavior, to build stronger and more durable relationships with consumers and expand their business.”
