Prime time is dead – we spend as much time watching streaming as we do watching free-to-air TV

Australians now spend as much time watching content on streaming services as they do watching free to air TV which means the traditional “prime time” as we know it is out the window, according to a new report from Deloitte.

The Deloitte 13th annual Media and Entertainment Consumer Insights report spoke to more than 2,000 media consumers across five generations around Australia with the objective of finding out what they are consuming, and where, when and why they are consuming it.

The report found Australians spend an average 44 hours a week – that’s about six hours per day – consuming digital media.

As a result, Australians now watch as much subscription video on demand (SVOD) as they do free-to-air TV (FTA TV) meaning prime time is whenever we want it.

The Deloitte report said the average Australian spends 8 hours and 20 minutes a week watching both SVOD and FTA TV with several peaks throughout the day.

It was found that 75 per cent of Australians consume some form of media in the morning with more than 80 per cent consuming their content on their commute to work or at night before they go to sleep.

Media is everywhere and there are several ways we can consume it, according to the report.

But despite this, the total weekly time spent consuming entertainment has dropped by 10 per cent in the past year to 44 hours a week.

And that drop is even greater among younger Australians with Gen Zs consumption falling 25 per cent. Social media consumption also dropped in that demographic.

The popularity of streaming services continues despite the cost of living pressures forcing Australians to make tricky choices.

One thing they are not doing is cutting their home entertainment budget.

In the past year, the average number of digital subscriptions per household was steady at 3.3 with average monthly spending growing 10 per cent to $63 as the various platforms increased their prices.

According to the report, there are more than a third of customers exceeding their monthly entertainment budget with 75 per cent worried about affording the cost of multiple subscriptions.

But the same people said they intend to hold on to all their subscriptions in 2025.

“It is no secret that Australians are tightening their belts at the moment, but most are avoiding taking the razor to their subscriptions, preferring to save money by switching between services to take advantage of promotions or substituting a night out for a night in,” says Deloitte lead partner for telecommunications, media and entertainment Peter Corbett.

“Despite price increases, subscriptions services still offer a relatively low-cost form of entertainment, which helps explain why young people, who often have tighter budgets, spend more on subscriptions than older people.

“Gen Z households spend $88 a month on subscriptions – almost double that of baby boomers.”

According to the report, social media has also taken a hit with younger Australians spending less time on the platforms because of a lack of trust and a concern for their wellbeing.

For Gen Z the average weekly used dropped almost 20 per cent from 12 hours and 45 minutes down to 10 hours and 5 minutes.

Nearly half of all respondents say they spend more time on social media than they thought they would – for a third of respondents this was a concern.

Meanwhile 70 per cent of parents are worried about the effects of social media on their children and have used parental controls to limit their access.

This concern plays into the proposal to limit access to social media for young Australians.

The report said 90 per cent of consumers support new social media restrictions for those aged 16 and under.

“The proposal for an outright ban for people under 16 accessing social media is less popular, but still found favour among 56 per cent of respondents and, surprisingly, among around one-third of Gen Zs, who are more likely to be familiar with the adverse effects social media can have on wellbeing,” Corbett said.

Aside from wellbeing concerns, Australians have less trust about the content they see on social media with only 40 per cent of respondents trusting what they see compared to 73 per cent who trust content brought to them through major news publishers.

“Despite reports to the contrary, Australians still retain considerable trust in legacy media platforms, with a strong preference for Australian-owned outlets,” Corbett said.

“As ubiquitous as social media is, TV news programs are still the single most popular source of news, being the primary choice of 34 per cent of respondents.

“That being said, traditional news and entertainment outlets need to stay attuned to the changing preferences of media consumers if they want to continue being seeing as relevant and retain trust.”