YouTube tops list and nine other findings about NZ media audiences

New Zealand’s only comprehensive pan-media audience survey is conducted only once every two years, and NZ on Air just released the latest one. Duncan Greive collects the 10 most interesting conclusions.

Measuring what the audience is actually doing is very difficult. Most surveys are conducted on behalf of the client, that is, the platform itself, and are only published when they show it in the best possible way. This is most atrocious on the radio, but pretty well, everyone selects and smooths the data, because no one has any incentive to say they are doing it wrong. This is why the biannual publication “Where are the hearings?” From NZ on Air the report is so valuable and interesting. It is made by an agency with no dogs in the fight, and the only one that makes a decent attempt to tell everything from Spotify to magazines, YouTube and TVNZ 1.

Because of the frequency with which they are conducted, the polls carry great weight: They capture two years of behavior change, an incredibly long time in this fast-paced field. Also, this was delayed until May-June, which means that it captures any behavior changes that occurred after the crash. Here are my picks for the ten most revealing data points.

YouTube is now the most popular channel in the country.

The user-generated video platform has surpassed TVNZ 1, an event that would have seemed unfathomable a few years ago, but now has an air of inevitability. Nearly one in two New Zealanders, 48%, say they use it on a daily basis, and online video consumption is now over an hour a day, with SVOD of 90 minutes. This shows that space is challenging the dominance of television and has already won the battle for the youngest.

2020 is the year online media outperforms traditional media

If current trends continue, 2020 will be the crossover point where digital media will overtake traditional media to deliver the largest daily audiences in New Zealand.

“If these trends continue, and there is little in this study to suggest otherwise, then by 2021: online video will attract the largest daily audience in New Zealand; SVOD will have overtaken radio, and perhaps linear television, to offer the second or third largest audience; [and] Music streaming may also have outgrown listening to the radio. “

TVNZ 1 resists trends

TVNZ was by far the most used source (47% cited it) for updates via Covid-19, but also the most reliable (28%). No other news source rated above 5% “most reliable,” a shocking spread. This was also supported by its use: 44% said they used it daily, a slight increase in the 2018 survey. Tres has dropped from 35% of daily use to 23% in just six years, while TVNZ 2 has halved in the same period, from 27% to 14%.

Heaven is in trouble

The former giant of our media landscape is now in a battle for his life. “In 2014, 57% of New Zealanders had daily access to Sky TV compared to 33% in 2020, and some audiences are less likely to have access to Sky: 15 to 34 years (17%), Asian New Zealanders (12%) and Aucklanders (28%). “His saving grace could be in the shift to SVOD: Neon’s relaunch happened after the poll and is his best chance to regain his lost youth.

Everybody has Netflix

Well, not everyone. But a phenomenal number of us (61%) do, and 36% claim daily use. Given that the platform wasn’t even launched in 2014, when this survey was first conducted, that’s a phenomenal result.

Four of the five main ‘channels’ are digital

In terms of channels people used the day before, YouTube (48%), Netflix (36%), Facebook for Video (36%), and Spotify (28%) are ahead of the next most popular linear form: Three ( 2. 3%). ). Only TVNZ 1 (44% interrupts the dominance of the streaming giants. TVNZ 2 is the one that declines the most, falling dangerously from 20% to 14% in just two years.

TVNZ OnDemand is booming

The strategic investment in its OnDemand service is paying off extraordinarily well for TVNZ, with its daily popularity (21%) outpacing TVNZ 2 and breathing down Three’s neck (23%).

Spotify is now as influential as radio

“The growth of Spotify and the decline in listening from most radio stations now make streaming services just as influential as radio stations and word of mouth from friends and family in terms of New Zealanders finding new music”.

Age defines media consumption, but also ethnicity

The report notes that your age is the strongest predictor of what you consume and where. “While 2020 may be the crossover point between digital and traditional media that attract the largest daily audiences overall, among 15- to 39-year-olds this point occurred in 2018 or earlier. We may now be at that point among 40-59 year olds. However, there are few signs that digital media is closing the large gap with traditional media among people over 60. “

We also see a strong influence of ethnicity. Asian New Zealanders are significantly less likely to watch linear TV at 28%, in part because only 55% even own a TV with a linear connection. Maori are super consumers of streaming music at 55% and are more likely to own Sky. Pasifika are more likely to broadcast videos and music, probably in part because they are relatively younger than other New Zealanders.

NZ on Air’s job is really difficult

The big issue is that our audience is fragmenting like never before. While TVNZ remains incredibly powerful, with TVNZ 1 and TVNZ OnDemand the winners when it comes to local platforms, audience behavior is now much more diverse than ever, a megatrend that has been visible for some time, but that now surrounds us. .

This poses huge challenges for funders, trying to serve diverse audiences through algorithm-based platforms, with their behavior increasingly difficult to predict. It is inevitable that those who have built businesses around serving audiences or creating content for audiences on more traditional platforms will find the implications of this incredibly challenging. But it is to NZ on Air’s credit that it has stuck to this research and continues to use it as a basis for thinking about how it should accomplish its mission.