Emakina’s Aline Durand clarifies media consumption trends in RTBF radio show

Want to know more about the media consumption of the young and not-so-young?

Aline Durand, Head of Emakina Insights & Consulting was invited this week on ‘la Première’ (RTBF) at the occasion of the publication of a Nielsen report on media consumption in the US. Radio hosts Elodie and Xavier welcomed her in their new show, ‘le Mug’, to explain the study’s findings and indicate more trends.

11 hours and 27 minutes

Do you also feel that media consumption in your life seems to be exploding? The latest Nielsen report for the first half of 2019 in the US indicates that Americans consume a whopping 11 hours and 27 minutes of content per day.
TV still remains an important player in the attention game, and surprisingly, people over 50 are the real heavy users.

Content versus screen time

Aline Durand agrees these findings are spectacular at first sight. But she quickly adds you need to put them in the right perspective. First off, the data speak of content consumption, not specifically screen time. Radio is included in the data, also when it is playing in the background, likewise with tv when it is used as a backdrop. Secondly, we all increasingly use several media simultaneously, and this heavily impacts the numbers.

Linear versus on-demand

Emakina’s expert confirms the general numbers in Belgium are similar, yet there’s a greater balance between age groups. But she explains not the time spent on media consumption is the big differentiator between age groups, but rather the style of consumption.

Older people remain more ‘linear’ media users: they accept the timing proposed by their trusted channels. Not so for younger generations. They decide when, what and where they consume, with smartphones ruling the waves.

Only when the young people join their parents in the living room, they will passively add mom and dad media tot their own mix. But beyond that, they decide on their time and place of consumption, selecting content across their preferred media.   

The YouTube phenomenon

Aline Durand challenged her radio hosts to guess how many hours of new video material was uploaded on YouTube every day. You’d be surprised! Listen to the program (in French) and find out the impressive numbers.

I want it now

Instant gratification is also part of this new media consumption style. Why wait for the news and other content? We want it now! Interestingly, this attitude is already becoming the new norm, spreading from kids to their parents. They also want fast delivery, both in media and in their online consumption.