Kiwis are sticking to their television viewing habits despite the growth in popularity of other devices and screens.

Nielsen’s recently released New Zealand Multi-Screen Report shows that consumers are continuing to watch broadcast TV and 90% of this viewing is spent watching live content. On average, 77% or 3.1 million Kiwis (aged 10+) watch broadcast TV each week and live viewing was the dominant viewing behaviour across all age groups.

Kiwis are looking for some drama in their lives as reality/drama programs attract the most viewers. More than one-in-five (21%) watch these programs on free-to-air channels followed by news at 17% and movies at 12%.

The TV screen remains core for New Zealanders to engage news content. More than 3.2 million people watch news on TV each month and those that watch free-to-air TV news spend 10.5 hours each month keeping up with current events. In addition, the average time spent on news websites is 3 hours and 45 minutes per month.

Contributing to this continuing loyalty to TV is the growth of Personal Video Recorder (PVR) ownership. Consumers who own a PVR are more likely to view TV every day than those without.

While television viewing time is dominated by broadcast TV, the use of TVs for other purposes is growing, particularly digital video consumption. On average 86% of people use their TV set each week for consuming video content.

Video content consumed in New Zealand through other devices is growing but the impact is still behind TV set usage levels. For example, for every minute spent watching video on desktops or laptops, 11 minutes are spent in front of a TV set. Consumers are in fact moving away from watching videos on desktops, laptops and tablets to consuming content on mobile phones, games consoles and smart TVs. Both mobility and the size of screen are shifting video engagement to devices that can meet these requirements.

These findings highlight how television remains a powerful medium for brand content and experiences for New Zealanders across all age groups. Despite the growth in usage of mobile devices, advertisers and marketers should not discount the influence and reach of live television viewing on consumers.

About the Nielsen New Zealand Multi-Screen Report

The New Zealand Multi-Screen Report presents trends of video viewing in Kiwi homes across television, computers and mobile devices. It combines data from Nielsen Television Audience Measurement (TAM) and Nielsen Consumer and Media Insights service (CMI).

Visit Nielsen.com to download the full report.