Adults spend almost 8 hours each day consuming media

This is according to the comprehensive new IPA TouchPoints 2017 data published last week, 15 September, which reveals how the Great British population spends their daily lives and how their use of communications channels and devices fit into this.

Multi-media consumption also continues to grow. Back in 2005, 79% of adults were consuming two or more media in the same half hour at some point during the week - this has now risen to 92% in 2017. Furthermore, over 26% of all adults are consuming more than three different media in any half hour.

In terms of time, the TouchPoints 2017 data reveals that this means adults spend just over 2 hours a day (2 hours and 7 minutes) media multi-tasking - that is nearly a quarter of the time spent consuming media in total.

Which medium are we consuming most?

For all adults, television/video* is still the largest medium in terms of both weekly reach and average hours viewed, Out Of Home (OOH) is the second largest, followed by radio with social networking/messaging in fourth place. Even for millennials, television maintains its position as the largest medium overall, however, social media/messaging is now vying with OOH to be their second largest medium.

All adults:

**Internet time / reach refers to any internet use such as shopping, searching etc but not for media consumption, or social or communications activity.

Aged 15-34:

**Internet time / reach refers to any internet use such as shopping, searching etc but not for media consumption, or social or communications activity.

Further highlights from the rich TouchPoints 2017 dataset reveals peak times for media consumption, and the rising popularity of social messaging sites including Whatsapp, Snapchat and Instagram, and more:

• 54% of the Great British population of adults watch video between 9-10pm on an average week night.
• Netflix is viewed by 19% of all adults each week, up from 16% in 2016, and by 39% of millennials, up from 33% in 2016, each week for an average of about 2 hours per day.
• 17% of the adult population listen to the radio live on a radio set between 8.30 and 9 am on a weekday morning.
• 38% of both adults and millennials listen to Spotify each week – this rises to 55% of 15-24s.
• 76% of all adults – up from 71% in 2016 and 95% of all millennials – up from 93% in 2016 - now use social media and/or messaging each week.
• Time spent online (for any activity) continues to rise and now stands at 4 hours and 43 minutes per day (an increase of 27 from 2016).
• Digital platforms increase the total print weekly reach for national and local newsbrands by just over a third (35%).
• The dominance of Facebook continues, reaching 83% of millennials and 62% of adults each week, although year-on-year growth is slowing – only an extra 1% for millennials and 3% for all adults.
• Whatsapp recorded a 22% increase for adults and a 9% increase for millennials from 2016 to 2017
• Snapchat recorded a 17% increase for adults and a 16% increase for millennials.
• Instagram shows an 11% increase for both adults and millennials.
• Conversely, Twitter has recorded a marginal year-on-year decline for all adults - down to 18.1% weekly reach (from 18.2%) and down to 29% from 31% for millennials.

Says IPA President Sarah Golding and CEO of CHI & Partners: “This latest TouchPoints 2017 data proves, unequivocally, that our media consumption patterns are continuing to grow and fragment as technology, new platforms and media channels are delivering an ever wider choice of content, available to us on a 24/7 basis. The knock-on effect on our lives – both personally and professionally – cannot be underestimated. As such, this data is invaluable in helping our industry to recognise the most appropriate ways to approach consumers – one that improves lives rather than interrupts.”

The TouchPoints 2017 data also revealed that:

• Smartphones have become so pivotal to the lives of millennials in Great Britain that 65% of them are looking at their phone within five minutes of waking and 60% look at their phone within five minutes of going to sleep. Read more on this story here.
• Visits to coffee shops increase by almost 50% in 7 years, while over a million fewer adults are going to pubs or bars, a 17.5% decline. Read more on this story here.

A breakdown of the full 2017 Media Day is available here.

For more information and to subscribe to TouchPoints visit www.ipa.co.uk/touchpoints and join the conversation at #IPATouchPoints