Digital video viewership, time spent with the medium, and video ad spending are all reaching new heights in Canada.

However, the average time devoted to broadcast TV per day had fallen by 16 minutes, to 2 hours, 47 minutes (2:47). It was much lower than daily time spent with PCs and tablets (3:50). Of course many viewers are no longer watching their favorite TV shows when they are broadcast.

The Global Media Intelligence Report is a concise, detailed compilation of data and insights about internet users’ traditional and digital media usage in 43 key markets worldwide. With very few exceptions, this 2021 edition covers the same range of metrics we featured in 2020, and the consistency of GWI’s methodology enables us to offer precise year-over-year (YoY) comparisons.

And in terms of time spent, online TV and video lagged far behind live TV, at an average of 46 minutes per day. The share of internet users who owned a smart TV rose by about 6 percentage points, to 49.2% in H1 2021. Digital audio content, including music and audiobooks, climbed modestly year over year to reach 63.6% of internet users in H1.

Broadcast radio, like live TV, maintained a sizable audience. Broadcast radio reached more of the online population in Poland than in most other nations surveyed, at 82.7%. The share of respondents accessing music, audiobooks, or other audio content on digital platforms was effectively static at 62.3% in H1 2021, and live radio occupied 40 minutes more than music streaming on a typical day.

While 78.7% of the 16-to-24 cohort and 88.6% of the 25-to-34 group had watched films or TV shows via SVOD in the prior month, fewer than 30% of those ages 55 to 64 were SVOD viewers. Digital audio followed much the same pattern. The share of internet users streaming music, podcasts, or other audio content in the prior month was 62.5% in H1.

Live TV viewing was less popular among younger internet users than with their elders in Q1. Some 74.1% of those ages 16 to 24 had watched live broadcast TV in the prior month, but that share was over 90% for the 35-to-64 group. Moderately affluent respondents were also more likely to watch live TV than those at either end of the income scale.

Time spent with broadcast TV averaged a robust 2 hours, 31 minutes (2:31) daily in H1 2021, virtually unchanged since 2019. While live TV still flourished in Romania, usage of time-shifted TV was rather limited. Just 31.3% of internet users had used TV channels’ catch-up or on-demand services during the previous month in Q1, while 33.2% had recorded TV broadcasts to watch later.

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.

The average time spent with broadcast TV was 2:01 daily in H1 2021. The broadcast radio audience was a good deal smaller than that for live TV, at 69.2% of internet users. Live radio listening accounted for 1:09 per day, on average—a marginal increase from 2020. Digital audio and social networking both gained momentum this year. Digital audio services were firmly established in Sweden some years ago.

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.

That said, video streaming occupied just 1:14 per day, on average—about an hour less than broadcast TV. By contrast, the digital audio audience posted little change in numbers this year. In H1 2021, 68.1% of respondents had listened to music, podcasts, audiobooks, or other audio content online in the prior month.

However, daily time spent with broadcast TV declined to 1 hour, 55 minutes (1:55) in H1, down from 2:07 in H1 2020. In total, 98.8% of internet users had streamed video content during the prior month, per H1 2021 data—substantially more than the 90.4% of Q1 respondents who had watched live TV in the same time frame.

But even among respondents ages 55 to 64, 94.4% had recently streamed video content as of H1 2021—compared with the 90.2% of this group who had watched live TV as of Q1 2021. Younger people were more responsive to digital audio, too. But unlike digital video, uptake of music, podcasts, and other digital audio content showed no increase year over year.

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.

Between H1 2020 and H1 2021, the share of internet users who streamed music, listened to podcasts, or consumed other online audio content declined slightly, from 78.9% to 75.1%. 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 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.

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.

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).

In fact, uptake of digital audio has long surpassed broadcast radio. Nearly two-thirds (64.8%) of respondents had listened to streamed music, podcasts, or other digital audio content in the month prior, per H1 2021 findings. Live TV viewing remained fairly high overall in Q1, at 86.2% of internet users.

Most internet users engage regularly with live TV and radio, while print media has a more limited reach. Audiences for broadcast TV and radio remained robust in France. Some 92.4% of internet users ages 16 to 64 had watched live TV in the month prior to polling in Q1 2021, and 74.8% had listened to live radio shows.

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.

The average times spent daily with print media and online press titles were both unchanged from H1 2020, at 28 minutes and 39 minutes, respectively. Broadcast TV remained a key media experience for internet users, with average daily viewing time rivaling that of mobile, at 2 hours, 16 minutes (2:16) in H1 2021.

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.