10 Important Stats from the 2018 Media Consumption Report

In 2017 we ran our first Media Consumption Report, and in July we ran an updated report for 2018. Drawing direct comparisons from 2017 we’ve been able to establish the most important shifts within UK consumers’ media habits in the last 12 months.

The report covers:

• A snapshot of UK media consumption in 2018
• Behavioural change analysis within key media segments between 2017 and 2018
• Identification of future trends and opportunities

Methodology:

1000 UK consumers surveyed in July 2018 using the Attest platform, Nationally Representative Sample (that breaks down as follows):

From Love Island to Poldark, Radio 1 to Radio 4 and Netflix to Spotify, the 2018 Media Consumption Report documents exactly how UK consumers are interacting with the media that exists around them.

Moreover, it looks at the way this level of consumption is shifting over time, to spot both upwards and downwards trends.

There are some key stats that we feel everyone buying media, regardless of the format, should be aware of:

1. More consumers are watching live TV in 2018

In 2017, 82% of consumers reported to watch at least one hour of live television, each and every day. This year the number of consumers tuning in on a daily basis has jumped up to 87%, with only 2% of consumers claiming to never watch live TV. 

2. Only 9.9% of consumers watch no on-demand TV on a daily basis

In 2017, 17% of consumers watched no on-demand TV, or at least not on a daily basis. This year the number of people reporting this behaviour has dropped to 9.9%, to mirror the rising popularity of Netflix, Amazon Prime and other on-demand and streaming providers.

Londoners seem more hooked on Netflix bingeing than others, with just 3.1% of those living in the capital watching no streamed TV each day.

3. Drama TV programmes continue to hook the UK public

It’s official, Brits love a cliff-hanger.

For the second year, Drama continues to be voted the most watched genre of TV, with 51.1% of consumers watching two or more Drama (live, catch-up or streamed) TV programmes each week.  

When you break this down demographically, though, even using very minimal demographic filters such as gender or age range, you start to see much more discrepancy. Younger generations, and particularly females aren’t tuning into the news as much as they are to reality TV, men don’t tend to watch as much of this genre in comparison.

4. Netflix is out-growing all other streaming services

Self-reported use of Netflix grew by 7.3% in the last year. By comparison, the next fastest growing streaming service in the UK, Sky, saw an increase in usage of just 2%.

Netflix has clearly dominated the market, and shows no sign of slowing in its path to be the greatest streaming service. Amazon Prime, often compared with Netflix, with the two in constant battles for the best content, has remained almost stagnant in usage since 2017.

5. Readership of (almost) all national newspapers is up

Only readership of freesheets has decreased, all other print newspapers have received a higher number of votes from respondents in 2018.

Reflecting this, the number of people stating they read no printed newspaper on a regular basis has decreased by 6.7%.

6. Older generations aren’t getting their news online

Not yet, anyway.

When we asked consumers which websites they were logging-on to in order to access news stories, 37.7% of those aged over 40 suggested that they don’t get their news from websites.

By comparison, only 16.5% of those aged 39 and under don’t visit websites for their news. This leaves a sizeable portion of the market so far under-serviced by online news, ripe for the taking by the right offering.

7. Those who do visit websites spend their time online with the BBC and Facebook

BBC and Facebook are ranked as the most popular websites, while Sky, Google and the Daily Mail Online also ranked in the top 5. This top 5 remains unchanged from 2017, proving that these brands have undeniable and unfaltering online presence, even despite the Cambridge Analytica scandal Facebook has suffered in the past 12 months.

This is a particularly sizeable feat for BBC and the Daily Mail, who’s main offerings are clearly offline. These brands have been able to stay relevant in the digital age by successfully cornering the online market.

8. Streaming and on-demand services are the most frequently newly-adopted media sources

When we asked consumers which media providers they’re using this year that they weren’t in 2017, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Sky, YouTube and Now TV were all ranked highly. These top brands are all online providers, indicating that offline media services don’t have the same sort of rising uptake as the comparatively new digital ones listed here.

9. But these providers should also watch their backs

Sky, Netflix, Amazon Prime and Now TV also all scored highly as brands consumers might be looking to ditch in the next 6 months.

This evidences a lack of loyalty in the entertainment industry, with consumers fickle towards entertainment brands, depending on who is able to offer the best financial and programmatic deals per season.

10. Facebook is the most used social media platform

Only 25.3% of consumers reported that they never use Facebook.

It’s also the most frequently used social media platform, with 12.8% of consumers logging on at least every hour, if not more often!

The Next Steps…

Read the full 2018 Media Consumption Report here for even more interesting statistics and advise for your upcoming media budgets.

If you’re keen to dive deeper into the media consumption habits of key market segments for your brand, Attest can help you run a bespoke survey to the consumers that matter most to you.

Get in touch with Attest today to start planning your most effective media campaigns to date!