Web-based TV usage on the rise
Internet usage continues to rise, and with it, web-based TV viewing. One reason for this is the rise of tablets and smartphones, which are creating new ways to use the Internet and driving greater demand for TV content online.
These are the findings of the latest "ARD/ ZDF Online Study 2012", for which Enigma GfK surveyed 1800 German consumers aged 14 and over.
First of all, the study shows that the use of the Internet continues to increase. Three out of four Germans (75.9%) now use the web at least occasionally. This corresponds to 53.4 million Internet users - exactly 1.7 million more than in the previous year. The Internet is even more popular with men than with women: 81.5 percent of men and 70.5 percent of women use the Internet. A breakdown by age shows that almost all younger people (100.0% of 14 to 19-year-olds and 98.6% of 20 to 29-year-olds) are online. However, the highest growth rates continue to come from the over-50s: 76.8% of 50 to 59-year-olds now use the Internet (+7.7% compared to the previous year). Among the over-60s, 39.2% (+4.7%) are online.
It is also clear that more and more online users are also using the internet on the move. Mobile Internet use has more than doubled since 2009, from 11% at the time to 23% now. This means that almost one in four German online users is already using mobile devices on the Internet. The younger generations in particular (42% of 14- to 19-year-olds and 40% of 20- to 29-year-olds) enjoy mobile surfing. The number one Internet-enabled mobile device is clearly the smartphone: 84% of mobile Internet users use a smartphone to access information and entertainment. Tablets are also establishing themselves as another alternative for mobile surfing. They are now used by 6% of mobile online users to access the internet.
The new end devices offer consumers further opportunities to consume TV content. For example, the number of TV programs accessed online continues to rise: 30% of online users now watch time-shifted TV on the web at least occasionally, compared to just 21% in 2009. Almost one in four online users (23 %) also watch live TV on the internet, compared to 18% three years ago.
However, it should be noted that the level of habitualization of web TV is still relatively low. Internet television is not yet habitually used by the majority of the population. Only 11% of online users watch TV via the web at least once a week and only 2% do so on a daily basis. Live streaming is used weekly by 7% and daily by 1% of online users. Regular use of moving images plays a greater role among younger people: 20% of 14 to 29-year-olds watch TV programs on the Internet on a time-shifted basis once a week, 4% on a daily basis. Live TV on the Internet is used by 11% of younger people on a weekly basis and 3% on a daily basis.
In the future, the habitual use of TV content via the Internet is expected to increase among young and old alike.
Clemens Koob
