Looking for effective ways to invest your marketing budget? The recent Ericsson ConsumerLab TV & Media Report might offer some valuable insights.

Now in its fifth year, the study surveyed 1,000 individuals in Singapore for the first time. The results reveal that 80% of Singaporeans engage in streaming TV or video content at least once a week, while 72% continue to watch traditional broadcast programs. Globally, 75% of consumers stream content multiple times weekly, compared to 77% who watch scheduled broadcast TV programs.

Afrizal Abdul Rahim, Head of ConsumerLab at Ericsson South East Asia & Oceania, highlights a shift in consumer behavior: “People are no longer just watching TV; they are consuming content. Their focus has moved from traditional TV or specific access technologies to content categories and titles themselves.” He adds, “Consumers anticipate accessing content across all their devices, effectively turning the television into just another screen. In Singapore, for instance, 55% of consumers already utilize the Internet on their TVs.”

Abdul Rahim emphasizes the growing popularity of binge-watching, stating that over half (51%) of Singaporean respondents prefer all episodes of a show released simultaneously, exceeding the global average of 48%. This allows viewers to dictate their own pace and experience the narrative as they choose.

These trends have significant ramifications for content providers. Abdul Rahim stresses that “the media landscape is evolving at an accelerated rate, requiring business and content delivery models to adapt accordingly to maintain and provide value to consumers.”

Consumer interaction with traditional TV broadcasts is also evolving, with a growing preference for recording content on digital video recorders (DVRs) for later viewing. The study indicates that in Singapore, 19% of consumers record broadcast TV content, while 40% engage in multiscreening or “place shifting” – starting content on one device, pausing, and resuming on another.

Simultaneous screen usage is also prevalent, such as discussing TV content with others or seeking additional information online. Over half of respondents (51%) admitted to checking email while watching TV or video content, while 41% browse the internet or use apps concurrently.

The report identifies YouTube as the most popular platform in Singapore for on-demand TV and video content, particularly user-generated content, with 66% of respondents favoring it. News emerges as the most important content category, as indicated by 76% of those surveyed.

Smartphones and tablets are gaining traction as content consumption devices, with smartphone penetration in Singapore at 80%, surpassing Australia’s 70%, according to Abdul Rahim. Factors driving this trend include improved internet connectivity, increased smartphone usage, the rise of mobile-friendly streaming services like Netflix, readily available content, pause/resume functionality, and the prevalence of mobile devices in homes.

On average, Singaporeans dedicate 10 hours per week to watching video content on TV screens, compared to six hours on desktops, seven hours on laptops, five hours on smartphones, and three hours on tablets.

The use of mobile devices for content consumption is more pronounced at home. Smartphone viewing averages three hours at home versus two hours outside, while tablet viewing averages two hours at home compared to one hour elsewhere, as shared by Abdul Rahim. Notably, 25% of consumers engage in video content consumption during their commute weekly.

Singaporean respondents indicated their willingness to watch video content on mobile devices under specific conditions: engaging content, sufficient network connectivity, and the use of a smartphone. Furthermore, they emphasize the importance of pause/resume functionality for place shifting and services optimized for mobile viewing.

The study attributes the “place shifting” phenomenon to smartphones, with four out of ten respondents in Singapore reporting this behavior weekly, surpassing the global average of 36%.

Abdul Rahim highlights the consistency of barriers to adoption with global findings. Cost of data and content remain significant obstacles, alongside concerns about slow mobile data connections.

Despite Singapore boasting one of the highest network connectivity rates in the Asia Pacific region, a third of respondents still perceive their mobile data connections as too slow for seamless video streaming.

*All charts originate from The Ericsson ConsumerLab TV & Media 2014 report.

*The Ericsson ConsumerLab TV & Media 2014 report draws from 23,000 online interviews conducted in May 2014 with broadband users in Brazil, Canada, Chile, mainland China, France, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Korea, Sweden, Taiwan, Turkey, UAE, the UK and the US. The study’s respondents predominantly utilize the Internet daily. The findings represent the perspectives of over 620 million individuals.

The data was further supplemented by 22 in-depth interviews with consumers in San Francisco, London, and Stockholm, along with 11 interviews with media industry professionals.