TV still Australia's entertainment choice

25 May 2012, 4:36 pm   -   Source: AAP

The ever-growing range of online content and devices has not swayed Australia's preference for the telly, but we're busier than ever while watching.

Television still rules the roost as Australia's preferred entertainment medium, with more than 60 per cent of people saying broadcast TV is their favourite form of entertainment, a new report shows.

But viewers are sharing their attention between the TV and the multitude of "scatter cushion" electronic devices that now litter loungerooms - posing both a threat for audience-dependent TV networks and an opportunity for advertisers seeking new ways to target consumers.

Watching TV was nominated as the preferred form of entertainment by 63 per cent of respondents in the Deloitte "State of the Media Democracy Survey", released on Friday.

Using the internet for entertainment ranked second and listening to music placed third.

And despite time-shifting technologies, such as digital video recorders (DVRs), 64 per cent of people like watching their TV live, the research found.

Deloitte national technology, media and telecommunications partner Clare Harding said while people had always done other activities while watching TV, the striking new finding was that six of the seven top multitasking activities involved using electronic devices.

"They call them `scatter cushion devices' - people have more devices than they do scatter-cushions in their lounge," Ms Harding said.

"It seems the tablet has really kicked along our multitasking behaviour whilst in front of the TV.

"Converged consumption of media and entertainment content in front of the big screen is well past the tipping point.

"This is an important consideration for broadcasters, application developers and advertisers when building an integrated marketing campaign."

The Deloitte survey found Australia's love affair with owning technology has continued to strengthen - yet technology usage is not at the global forefront.

With smartphones in 46 per cent of households, Australia has the world's second-highest smartphone penetration after the UK - ahead of the US, France, Germany and Japan.

However the most common activities on smartphones are still voice calls and text messages.

Tablets are booming in Australia with 1.4 million sold in 2011.

There are now tablets in 13 per cent of households and 31 per cent of owners rate their tablet as their most valuable media device.

The Deloitte online survey, which gauged the views of 2,000 Australians, was conducted in 2011.

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