Filipinos complement newspapers with ‘multiple screens’

While Internet connection used to be considered a luxury in the past years, access to the World Wide Web is increasingly becoming a necessity in the Philippines, a recent study of media consumption revealed. AFP file photo

MANILA, Philippines–While Internet connection used to be considered a luxury in the past years, access to the World Wide Web is increasingly becoming a necessity in the Philippines, a recent study of media consumption revealed.

The latest Nielsen Cross-Platform Report showed that Filipinos are becoming increasingly voracious consumers of online media content, often using multiple screens simultaneously for this purpose.

“The proliferation of smartphones and other mobile devices is driving the rise in Internet usage and subsequently, how people are now consuming media content not just through one screen but multiple screens,” said Nielsen Philippines managing director Stuart Jamieson.

According to the report, an overwhelming 96 percent of consumers in the Philippines simultaneously engage with two screens and as many as eight in 10 simultaneously engage with three screens.

While the assumption may be that the Internet—and by extension, accessing the Internet via mobile devices—is taking the place of traditional media, the study shows that this is not entirely the case.

Readership stable

Readership of broadsheets, tabloids and regional newspapers remained stable over the past year and steady quarter on quarter, with around 14 percent of people in the “national urban Philippines” segment saying they read newspapers at least the previous day.

Radio listening also shows an upsurge from 53 percent to 62 percent in the past year, while TV viewership also slightly exhibited an increase from 93 percent to 95 percent over the past year.

“The swift integration of connected devices into the lives of consumers is instrumental in the shift in the consumption of media, which includes multiscreening as a prevalent behavior,” Jamieson said.

As such, he said media owners and brands “must continue to innovate to be able to capitalize on multiscreening behavior and deliver enhanced audience engagement with programs and advertising.”

Broadcast TV remains the most-used platform for delivery of rich video content, but alternative platforms are emerging.

More than seven in 10 digital consumers in the Philippines report watching TV content and movies via online sources such as video-on-demand.

This is the second highest penetration of Internet TV in the region after Thailand. YouTube is also increasingly acknowledged as a “TV channel” or platform.

‘Most dynamic markets’

Nielsen said their report examined “the most dynamic markets in rising Asia,” including Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam and India. In all markets, a sample of 1,000 frequent online users aged 16 and above was captured using an online survey methodology from April to May 2014.

Jamieson said people are increasingly using traditional media in union with the new media.

“When people use dual screens, they may be watching TV while accessing content related to the programs they are watching,” he said.

The report also indicated that online media consumption is the most stable method, as it is accessed throughout the day on various devices.