More than half of Canadians can be reached through a connected TV, representing audience growth of nearly 10 million in the last two years.

That’s one insight from the fall edition of Vividata’s Study of the Canadian Consumer, based on the company’s ongoing survey of 35,000 Canadians on their media consumption habits and attitudes.

The new report estimated that 58% of Canadian adults now have at least one connected TV or smart TV within their home, more than double the 28% who said the same in 2020. When it comes to actual viewing, 49% say they regularly watch TV content on their device (as opposed to movies, video games or other non-TV content), compared to 38% who regularly use a traditional TV set.

For other devices, 21% of adults watch TV content on a smartphone, thought that number jumps to 32% for those under 35. Using video game consoles is still a very niche activity, though 14% of those under 35 do so regularly.

While options have boomed, only 27% adults subscribe to three or more TV streaming services, with 26% believing they have more TV streaming subscriptions than they need. Perhaps breaking expectations, that number goes to 32% for those under 35.

Social media continues to take a significant portion of screen time among Canadians: 90% access at least one social media platform through a mobile device weekly, with average time spent now sitting just under 12 hours a week. For those under 35, reach grows to 95% and average time spent goes up to 14 hours a week.

Keeping in touch with friend and family is the most-cited reason for social media use, at 69%; there’s a gap before the next most-popular reasons, which are watching “entertaining or fun content” and keeping up with the news (both at 40%).

For more traditional news outlets, 70% of Canadians access newspaper content in print or digital formats in a typical week; engagement is slightly higher for Francophones (74%) than Anglophones (69%). For magazine, 67% of adults access content weekly, though the mobile audience is growing: 44% of magazine readers are exclusive to a printed magazines, but 43% now access magazine content on a mobile device, up from 32% pre-pandemic. Despite this engagement, only 35% of Canadians say they are seeking out more news than they did at the beginning of the pandemic, with only 26% following their favourite news brands on social media.

Despite the growth of digital audio, conventional radio remains the most popular way to listen at 69% of Canadian adults – though that number is still trending lower each year. The audience for paid audio streaming services has grown from 16% to 26% over the last two years, growing to 36% of adults under 35. Podcasts reaching 29% of adults in an average week, a number that grows to 42% among Canadian newcomers seeking news and content from their home countries.

For out-of-home, 60% of adults notice an ad in an average week, a number that grows to 67% for those under 35 and 66% for new Canadians. Roughly 40% said they noticed large screens and posters, while 33% noticed roadside boards, 21% noticed gas stations ads and 19% said they noticed transit ads.