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Canadians still watch commercial TV most of all video: study

Industry Minister James Moore first indicated last October that he'd like to see more choice for Canadian television consumers.

TORONTO – A study released Thursday by the Television Bureau of Canada (TVB) shows that commercial television is still the dominant video-viewing choice amongst adult Canadians (18+).

According to the study, which was conducted online by Ipsos Reid MediaCT, 83 per cent of Canadian adults spend their video-viewing time watching commercial television, while only five per cent spend time watching non-commercial TV content, such as Netflix.

The study also found that 12 per cent of Canadian adults watch content in what is called the ‘Grey Zone.’ This is content on YouTube, DVD, social media and from peer-to-peer services.

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“Clearly, we’re seeing a disconnect between the amount of “buzz” about the new world of watching video and the degree of impact various video options are actually having on Canadian viewing habits,” said Theresa Treutler, President & CEO, TVB.

Out of the 2,500 people who participated, an average of seven hours per day was spent with media of some form, with watching video taking up 47 per cent (or 4 hours).

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Reading and social media accounted for six per cent each, gaming for nine per cent, listening to audio for 12 per cent, and browsing for 20 per cent.

“Watching video is fundamental from a media perspective – it represents half the time Canadians spent with media in an average day,” Treutler said.

Respondents overwhelmingly viewed video content on a television screen, with 80 per cent of viewing hours consumed on a TV.

Fifteen per cent viewed content on a computer screen (desktop or laptop) and only two per cent viewed video content on a smartphone or tablet (MP3 players accounted for one per cent).

“In a saturated media landscape, where consumers have the choice of a wide variety of screens, TV remains the screen of choice,” Treutler said.

The Television Bureau of Canada is an industry association for commercial television broadcasters in Canada.

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