Media consumption habits: Where Australians spend their time

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Key Points

A new report paints a picture of Australia’s media consumption habits.
While streaming services and free-to-air continue to dominate, podcasts are becoming more popular.
The report also shows consumption times peak in the morning, afternoon and evenings.

Australians are spending more than six hours each day consuming digital entertainment but some have significantly cut back — including a cohort of young people who are spending less time on social media, according to a new report.

Most Australians consume some form of media first thing in the morning, on their way to work or right before bed, Deloitte’s Media and Entertainment Consumer Insights report shows.

The report also reveals that despite the cost of living pressures, consumers are paying more for , with the average monthly spend per household rising 10 per cent to $63 and each household slightly increasing their subscriptions — from 3.2 subscriptions to 3.3.

Who is cutting back their media consumption?

Australians consumed 10 per cent less media and entertainment this year compared to 2023.

Gen Zs — people aged between 16 and 24 in Deloitte’s report — have cut back by around a quarter and reduced average weekly social media usage to 10 hours and 5 minutes from 12 hours and 45 minutes.

Around three in four Australians over 16 are consuming media as soon as they wake up, and around four in five do so just before they go to sleep.

Deloitte’s lead partner for telecommunications, media & entertainment, Peter Corbett, said a key takeaway from the report was that the idea of media consumption peaking at one specific point during the day no longer holds true.

“Prime time means something different to everyone in 2024 — streaming services are on the precipice of eclipsing traditional free-to-air television in popularity, while different formats are winning the battle for our attention at various times of the day,” he said.

What media are Australians consuming each week?

Most people continue to get their entertainment from streaming video services, free-to-air TV, and music and radio, though consumption of these services is slightly down.

The average Australian spends eight hours and 20 minutes watching streaming platforms and eight hours and 20 minutes watching live free-to-air platforms each week.

A graph depicting Australians' media consumption.

On average, Australians spend eight hours and 20 minutes each week watching streaming platforms and another eight hours and 20 minutes on live free-to-air television. Source: SBS News

Australians also spend an average of three hours and 40 minutes on free streaming platforms like YouTube and two hours and 20 minutes watching catch-up on free-to-air TV.

An average of seven hours a week is spent listening to music and radio, six hours and 20 minutes on social media and three hours on video games.

The only media Australians are spending more time on this year compared to last are podcasts and audiobooks (two hours and 15 minutes this year compared to one hour and 50 minutes last year) and news and magazines (two hours and 50 minutes this year compared to two hours and 50 minutes last year).

The only media that Australians are spending more time on this year compared to last are podcasts and audiobooks. Source: SBS News

Australians want diverse representation in media — around 64 per cent of gen Zs say they actively seek out diverse voices in the media they consume, compared to around 50 per cent of total consumers.

Overall, Facebook is the most used social media platform, followed by YouTube and Instagram. However, gen Zs have a preference for YouTube and TikTok.

As the federal government for children under 16, around 90 per cent of Australians agree there should be greater restrictions on children’s access to social media.

However, only 56 per cent agree with an outright ban on account ownership for under 16s, and only 36 per cent of gen Zs agreed.

Around 44 per cent agreed there should be restrictions on how platforms use data, personalisation and algorithms to maximise social media use.

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