Gaming is a key component of Netflix’s lofty franchise goals: On its own, gaming can help Netflix increase time spent. But it’s especially valuable in its push to build popular properties into full-fledged multimedia “universes.”

On today's episode, we discuss Facebook's new Ray-Ban smart glasses, whether time spent on TikTok actually surpassed YouTube, what branded gaming on Roblox looks like, how to get noticed as a marketer, whether selling Super Bowl ads early is a good move, how to make friends while working from home, how two people reversed climate change in their hometown, and more. Tune in to the discussion with eMarketer principal analyst Suzy Davidkhanian, director of reports editing Rahul Chadha, and analyst at Insider Intelligence Blake Droesch.

The average US adult spent 25 additional minutes per day on mobile apps in 2020 than the year prior, according to eMarketer. And we expect these gains across most mobile activities will become permanent this year. In fact, we anticipate US adults will add 6 minutes to their average time spent with apps. As data suggests, it is clear that marketers need to revisit their mobile strategy for the year ahead. Curated by eMarketer, this collection of articles, insights, and interviews will help you understand the mobile landscape today across key areas such as in-app advertising, video, SMS, gaming, and more.

Many of the country’s internet users remained avid gamers. A pattern spotted in 2020 was clear again this year: Ownership of game consoles was comparatively low, at 13.4% in H1 2021, yet the average time spent gaming per day was 1:36. Digital audio formats—such as music and podcasts—were also very popular; 87.1% of internet users polled in H1 had listened to such content in the prior month.

Time spent with digital audio and video both posted annual increases. For example, in H1 2021, internet users polled in Argentina spent an average of 1:14 daily with online TV and 1:45 with music streaming. Time spent each day with broadcast TV also rose, from 2:28 to 2:34. As in past years, social media claimed a far larger slice of time than any other specific media activity, at 3:24 per day.

The average time spent with print formats each day in H1 2021 was less than time spent with online press, at 31 minutes and 43 minutes, respectively. Both formats rose by 5 minutes year over year, however. Traditional TV was still appealing. In Q1 2021, 92.0% of internet users had watched live TV in the prior month.

Time spent with all digital devices rose in 2021. Fully 98.7% of internet users ages 16 to 64 polled in H1 2021 owned a smartphone—effectively identical to the rate in H1 2020. Time spent with smartphones and other mobile devices in H1 2021 reached a remarkable 5 hours, 15 minutes (5:15) per day, on average—a gain of 9 minutes year over year.

Time spent each day with desktops, laptops, and tablets remained considerably higher than time spent with mobile devices, averaging 3:25 and 2:19, respectively. Daily PC time grew more than mobile time year over year; the opposite was true in 2020.

Time spent streaming music averaged 1:33 per day, while video streaming occupied an average of 1:22. Both times rose by about half an hour from H1 2020. Mobile time and activities were on the rise as PC penetration slid. Smartphone ownership dropped marginally but remained high overall, at 96.9% of internet users ages 16 to 64.

Nonetheless, time spent with broadcast TV in H1 was more than half an hour greater than time spent with online TV and video, at 1 hour, 56 minutes (1:56) per day versus 1:22, respectively. However, broadcast TV no longer claimed more time than social networking, which averaged 1:57 each day. In fact, social media and messaging engaged more internet users than any other activity.

In fact, broadcast TV maintained a significant advantage over digital video in terms of time spent. It accounted for an average of 2 hours, 34 minutes (2:34) per day in H1 2021, effectively 1 hour more than time spent watching TV shows or other video content online. However, digital video viewing now enjoys near-universal reach among internet users in Brazil.

But the average time spent with print press each day was less than the time spent reading online press, at 29 minutes and 31 minutes, respectively. The share of internet users who watched live TV in the month prior to polling climbed to 95.0% in Q1 2021, and more than 80% of respondents had listened to broadcast radio.

Time spent with desktops, laptops, and tablets averaged 4 hours, 2 minutes (4:02) daily in H1 2021. This metric rose more steeply year over year than mobile time, which accounted for 3:08 daily. Digital video arguably now exceeds live TV in terms of reach, while paid-for video services made a quantum leap between 2020 and 2021.

As early as H1 2019, online press had overtaken print in terms of time spent each day. This year, respondents devoted slightly more time to print press than in 2020, at 26 minutes daily. However, time spent with online publications remained unchanged at 54 minutes, more than doubling print’s time spent. Broadcast radio also occupied a bit more of internet users’ time this year.

The average times spent daily with broadcast radio and live TV remained constant between H1 2020 and H1 2021, at 1:36 and 1:55, respectively. During the same period, time spent daily with print press rose by 4 minutes to reach 33 minutes. However, it was clearly overtaken by online press, which occupied an average of 43 minutes each day.

Time spent with live TV continued to fall year over year, hitting 2:09 in H1 2021. Most traditional media forms have seen their audiences shrink, but they were still popular among older individuals and affluent respondents.

In H1 2021, the average time spent per day with mobile was 2 hours, 18 minutes (2:18)—compared with 3:19 spent with desktops/laptops and tablets. Mobile devices also claimed less time than broadcast TV (2:19).

Music streaming, gaming, and digital video took up broadly equal amounts of internet users’ time on a typical day in H1 2021, at 1:03, 1:06, and 1:06, respectively. Meanwhile, 37 minutes were devoted to podcasts daily, on average, compared with 31 minutes in H1 2020.

Mobile devices ranked second in terms of time spent, at an average 2:21 daily. That was also up compared with 2020, but by a smaller margin than time spent with larger digital screens. Several advanced digital devices saw increased adoption this year. More than half of respondents owned a smart TV. In high-income households, that share passed 60% in H1 2021.

Given smartphones’ ubiquity, it’s not surprising that time spent per day with mobile devices passed the 5-hour mark this year. Meanwhile, desktops, laptops, and tablets claimed 3:58. Both figures rose by a few minutes from H1 2020. Many digital devices held little appeal for local web users, or at least were not a priority purchase.

That said, the bulk of time spent with press titles has shifted online. Digital publications occupied 1 hour, 34 minutes (1:34) per day on average in H1 2021, compared with 1:00 for print press formats. Broadcast TV, meanwhile, was still viewed more widely than most digital alternatives. In Q1 2021, 92.0% of internet users had watched live TV in the month prior to polling.

Time spent with large and small screens rose significantly in 2021. Almost 96% of internet users in Sweden owned a smartphone in H1 2021—a share unchanged since 2020—while 76.9% owned a desktop or laptop, and 50.9% owned a tablet. Both PCs and tablets saw a drop in ownership. But respondents averaged 3 hours, 37 minutes (3:37) each day with PCs and tablets, versus 2:55 with mobile phones.