In a changing media landscape, what role does TV play in Australians’ lives today?

To answer that question, we looked at findings from our TV Matters study, which spanned 16,000 people aged 6 to 44 across 16 countries, including Australia. Here’s what we found:

Australians love TV. Aussies responded enthusiastically on several questions about consumers’ passion for television – 76% find comfort in watching TV (64% globally), 71% say that TV is an important source of entertainment in their life (67% globally), and 46% worry they would be bored without TV (38% globally). Just 39% thought they could easily live without TV – far below the global average of 49%.

They feel they’re watching more content. In Australia, viewers reported a +5% net increase in their TV and video viewing from the previous year. This was below the global net change of +9%.

They have less of a desire to watch content anywhere and use fewer sources for viewing. In Australia, 43% agreed that it’s important to watch their favorite TV shows wherever they are (compared with 50% globally). On average, they use 2.9 sources to view TV content, below the global average of 4.5.

The TV set is Australians’ preferred viewing device. When asked which screen they prefer to watch pay TV content on, 65% said TV sets and 22% smart TVs. Fewer mentioned portable devices –laptops/desktops (14%), tablets (7%), and smartphones (4%).

But they have an above-average number of connected devices. Australians access an average of 11.5 devices at home – one device above the global average of 10.5. They’re more likely to have a game console (57% Australia, 47% global) and digital streaming device (43% Australia, 38% global), with Apple TV (16%) and Chromecast (15%) in the lead. Penetration figures for smartphones (81%), laptop computers (77%) and tablets (60%) in Australia are on par with global averages.

Finding specific shows can be a challenge. In Australia, 63% of viewers told us they know where to find the TV shows they want to watch – below the global average of 70%. However, when a show isn’t available, Aussies feel just as annoyed as their global peers (64% Australia, 67% globally).

Keeping up with all the great shows available is no easy feat! More than half in Australia (54%) say there are too many great TV shows to keep up with – and the rest of the world feels the same way (56% globally).