The average per capita hours tuned to radio each week has remained steady over the past six years that the CRTC (Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission) has issued its Broadcasting Policy Monitoring Report, while TV viewing has had a bit of a roller coaster ride.
Radio listening has ranged from 20.5 hours in 1999 to 19.5 hours in 2003 and 2004, with FM garnering 73% of the share. Radio revenues overall have grown year over year since 2000 (4%, 3%, 8% and 4% respectively) although AM stations declined slightly while FM stations experienced very healthy growth.
The average hours of TV viewing were at a high of 24.0 hours in 1995 but the hours were down to 22.6 in 1999, moving to a low of 22.1 in 2001, up to 23.1 in 2003 and down to 22.5 hours in 2004. Nielsen Media Research reports an average of 25.8 hours of viewing for 2004, while BBM Canada pegs it at 21.4 hours.
From 1999 to 2004, viewing amongst kids aged two to 11, teens 12 to 18, and the 18 to 24 and 25 to 34 age groups dropped. The viewing by 35 to 49 and 60-plus demos was steady over that period while 50 to 54 and 55 to 59 increased.
Even with declining viewership, revenues of English-language private conventional as well as pay, PPV, and specialty services have increased year over year since 1996. Conventional growth has been less dramatic than the pay, PPV, and specialty sector, which actually had higher revenues in 2004 than conventionals.
Conventional revenues rose from $1,301,000,000 in 1996 to $1,683,000,000 in 2004. Pay, PPV, and specialty skyrocketed from $521,000,000 to $1,687,000,000 in 2004.
The real difference is seen in the source of the revenues.
Almost all of the revenues for conventionals were derived from advertising sales while 47% of specialty revenues and 100% of the pay and PPV services came from subscriptions.
The CRTC report credits the increase in Internet use for the overall decline in TV hours. Internet use grew between 2003 and 2004 amongst all age groups from 18 years to 65-plus.
The percentage of Canadians accessing the Internet from home increased to 63% between 2003 and December 2004. Household ownership of computers jumped from 49% in 1998 to 71% last year, with a 3% increase between March and December 2004 alone. Increased ownership was most noticeable amongst women; individuals aged 55 to 64, and lower income households (under $20,000 per annum).
In December 2004, the average Canadian with Internet access was online for an average of 15 hours a week. Email is the main online activity of 70% of users. Persons with high-speed access are 41% more likely to be downloading or listening to music than dialup users, and 46% more likely to be downloading files or software.
