• by Larissa Faw , May 30, 2017

Despite the rapid rise of the Internet, traditional media -- defined as printed newspapers and magazines, broadcast television and radio, cinema and outdoor -- will still account for 69% of global media consumption in 2017, according to Zenith’s Media Consumption Forecasts. 

People will spend an average of 316 minutes a day with traditional media this year, down from 364 minutes in 2010.

Traditional broadcast TV is still the largest single medium by consumption time, averaging 170 minutes of viewing per day this year, compared to 140 minutes for the internet.

The gap between television and internet consumption will continue to narrow, Zenith predicts, from 30 minutes in 2017 to just seven minutes in 2019. 

The spread of mobile technology has given a boost to overall media consumption by allowing users to access more media, in more places, and at more times than ever before, says Zenith. People will spend an average of 122 minutes a day accessing the mobile internet via browsers and apps, up from ten minutes a day since 2010.

Mobile will continue as the main entry point for Internet consumption (71%) this year; the medium overtook desktop to become the primary channel for Internet access in 2015. The regions that have embraced mobile internet use the fastest are North America, where 76% of internet use is mobile and Asia-Pacific at 75%. 

As its share has grown sharply in recent years, not surprisingly, the annual growth rate of mobile Internet use is slowing down. After 43% and 25% growth, respectively, in 2015, and 2016, Zenith only expects it to grow 17% in 2017. 

Overall media consumption growth, which was 2.7% last year, is also slowing. "We expect overall media consumption to be essentially static in 2017, then grow by less than 1% a year to 2019," per the agency.

“Mobile technology has thoroughly disrupted consumers’ media habits in less than a decade,” stated Jonathan Barnard, head of forecasting, Zenith. “The pace of change is now slowing -- at least until the next disruptive technology takes off.”

Overall, the average person spent 456 minutes consuming media in 2016, up from 411 minutes in 2010. “Consumers now expect to be able to communicate and transact with brands at the time and place of their choosing,” said Vittorio Bonori, global brand president, Zenith. “Brands need to respond to and anticipate changes in media behavior, to build stronger and more durable relationships with consumers and expand their business.”

This is the third annual edition of Zenith’s consumption forecasts, which provides estimates for 71 countries.