New data released this morning by the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) shows that for the first time, British adults (aged 15+) are spending more time on their phones than watching a TV set.
The data, from the IPA’s TouchPoints dataset which tracks consumers’ media habits, finds that British adults use their phones for an average of 3 hours and 21 minutes per day. Meanwhile average TV usage sits at 3 hours and 16 minutes per day. This shift has been driven by increased mobile engagement rather than declining TV viewing. Ten years ago, the average British adult spent 3 hours and 23 minutes per day in front of a TV set, compared to 1 hour and 17 minutes spent on their phone.
Unsurprisingly, the data varies a lot based on age group. People in the 14-25 age bracket spend nearly 4 hours and 49 minutes on their phones each day, and just 1 hour and 49 minutes watching a TV set. Those aged 65-74, meanwhile, spend 4 hours and 40 minutes in front of a TV set, and 1 hour and 47 minutes on their phones.
Mood Shift
The IPA’s findings highlight an interesting milestone (which some, like this writer, might be surprised has only just been passed). But while the data might be fodder for those heralding the death of TV, other stats from the TouchPoints database counteract this idea.
One of the questions raised by the data is whether the time audiences spend on their mobile phones is eating away at minutes spent in front of a TV set. As mentioned, the IPA’s study suggests that this isn’t really the case, since average time spent watching a TV set has fallen by just seven minutes over the past ten years.
Total phone time has grown by 2 hours and 4 minutes in the past ten years, but total screen time has increased by just 51 minutes across the same period. So phones are stealing screen time from other devices, but not really TV. Indeed phone usage is high throughout the day whereas TV peaks in the evening, meaning phones aren’t really competing with TVs for people’s attention for a lot of the time they’re in use.
Of course, if younger audiences’ media habits stick with them as they age, then we’re likely to see total TV time drop significantly over time. But it’s not yet really clear whether that will happen, or whether younger generations will start spending more time watching TV as they grow older.
Another key question is whether there should be implications for ad budgets, as time spent on mobile overtakes TV time. That, ultimately, is up to advertisers to decide. But the latest TouchPoints report provides data suggesting advertisers should be cautious about making comparisons between the two mediums.
The emotional states of audiences vary significantly based on the device they’re using, according to the IPA’s data. And on this front, TV appears to come out on top. For example, British adults are 52 percent more likely to feel relaxed when watching content on a TV set, compared to viewing video on a mobile phone. Viewers are also 55 percent more likely to report feeling sad when watching video on a phone, compared to a TV set.
There have been several other interesting datasets released recently from FreeWheel and Samsung Ads highlighting the unique mental state of audiences watching TV in a shared environment, which has benefits when it comes to driving outcomes. So even if total TV viewing time does start to fall, simply moving budgets across to mobile might be counterproductive.
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