As both reach and time spent online have surged in recent years, the rumours of TV’s death have been greatly exaggerated, according to research presented yesterday by the Television Bureau of Canada (TVB).

BBM data from the 2011-2012 broadcast season presented by the TVB shows that TV continues to reach 98.3% of Canadian adults 18+. For the key 18 to 34 and 25 to 54 demographics, TV’s reach is also steady, at 97.5% and 97.9%, respectively.

The board’s claims were backed up by findings from December’s CMUST study, which show that despite the fact that the internet’s share of time spent has grown to 20% from 9% since 2001, TV’s share also edged up 1% to 47% over the same period. All told, Canadians 18+ spend an average of 29 hours per week watching TV, and the growth of the internet is adding to this, as Canadians are increasingly watching TV content online.

Theresa Treutler, president and CEO, TVB Canada, tells MiC that the emergence of a wide array of specialty channels has helped TV remain attractive to advertisers because it allows them to target very specific demographics that match their brands.

Additionally, BBM data shows that despite the increased penetration of PVRs to 39.4% of households from 14.1% since March 2009, consumers aren’t skipping over the ads. During the 2011-2012 broadcast year, 88.7% of all PVR households continued to watch TV live, while 11.3% watched via playback.

Looking forward, Treutler sees no signs of consumers cutting the cord, but says that both advertisers and content producers will need to learn to navigate the multiple screens, including smartphones, tablets and computers, on which TV content is being consumed to offer a unique experience on each platform.

This, she adds, will require the industry to find better ways to measure data across the screens, so advertisers are better able to plan their media strategies.