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Data: Consumer media usage grew 2.4% in 2024

April 17, 2025

Global consumer media usage, including digital and traditional media channels, increased 2.4 per cent in 2024 to an average of 57.2 hours per week, following a sharp deceleration in time spent with media growth in 2023, according to a market intelligence report from media econometrics specialist PQ Media.

Growth in consumer media usage, including all digital and traditional media channels, was driven by federal elections in 15 of the top-20 markets, as well as the Summer Olympics in France.

However, growth is expected to fall 0.3 per cent in 2025, the first decline since the 2009 Great Recession, which shows that media consumption has reached its saturation point as digital device penetration rates having peaked in major developed markets, such as the US.

Analysis of the 2024-2029 period indicates that media usage with rise in even years when most domestic and global markets hold federal elections, as well as major international sporting events such as the Olympics, FIFA World Cup, and the World Hockey Cup. Meanwhile, declines are expected each odd year during the forecast period, when there are fewer federal elections and international sporting events, which tend to be limited to sports that are played in fewer countries or don’t generate high TV ratings, such as the ICC World Cup, according to PQ Media’s 12th annual Global Consumer Media Usage Forecast 2025-2029.

“Also contributing to the media consumption decline in 2025 is expected deceleration in discretionary spending on media devices and content, as consumers worldwide tighten their overall budgets due to an expected rise in inflation and possible recession due to the tariff wars instigated by the new Trump administration in the United States,” according to PQ Media CEO Patrick Quinn. “However, the decline will be short lived, as gains are expected in 2026, when more than a dozen major countries hold federal elections, the Winter Olympics are held in Italy and the FIFA World Cup is tri-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.”

Another trend which continued in 2024 is the shift from traditional media to digital media, with digital rising to 39.7 per cent share globally, up from 37.3 per cent in 2023 and 28.6 per cent in 2019. Some might question that statistic as being too low, but one must remember that both India and China have populations over 1 billion, with a high percentage living in poverty and unable to afford internet access and mobile phones, among other emerging nations with the same population profile. That said, there are 11 of the top-20 markets that digital media usage accounts for over 50 per cent of overall consumption, such as the United States, South Korea, the Netherlands and Spain.

A new datapoint being tracked by PQ Media in the report is an additional generation not found in previous editions, the ai-Gen, individuals born between 2025-2039, the first generation to live its entire life with artificial intelligence (AI). It follows PQ Media’s policy to name generations based on digital technology, such as the m-Gen (2013-2024), the first generation to live its entire live with mobile phones and the i-Gen (1996-2012), the first generation to live its entire life with Internet access.

“Compared with previous generations, the ai-Gens will be introduced to digital media at an earlier age, as broadband, smartphone, and tablet penetration rates have emerged as the highest ever in 2025, with children knowing how to use smartphones and tablets almost from the time they can walk,” said Quinn. “With streaming services replacing broadcast and cable TV, over-the-air radio, DVDs and CDs, and mobile games and podcasts increasingly being developed that are targeted towards young children, the use of traditional media platforms and channels will continue to decline at a more rapid rate each year.”

Among other key findings:

• The average global consumer spent 8.17 hours per day with media in 2024, up from 7.36 hours in 2019 (in some markets, such as Japan and the Netherlands, daily media usage exceeded 12 hours per day);

• Ad-supported media accounted for 52.7 per cent of time spent in 2024, down from a 55.5 per cent share in 2019, while in 11 markets, including the United States, consumer-driven media usage exceeds 50 per cent, led by Spain and Japan at 57.9 per cent;

• From a demographic perspective, men used media more than women globally, 58.29 hours per week (HPW) vs. 57.02, respectively. The Greatest Generation (born before 1945) used media the most (98.37 HPW), while the m-Gen used media the least (31.73 HPW) in 2024;

• Television (including live, digital, VoD and OTT) remains the most used of the 11 media platforms that PQ Media tracks, reaching 28.07 hours per week in 2024, while film & home video posted the fastest growth, up 10.4 per cent, fuelled by more movies being released on streaming services and high number of blockbusters in movie theatres;

• Mobile video posted the highest gain of the 22 digital channels that PQ Media monitors, up 16.7 per cent in 2024, while OTT (including VoD, PPV and DVR) viewing is the most used digital channel at 8.77 hours per week.

“Print books are an anomaly in traditional media, as digital extensions, such as e-Books, are actually posting declines in many markets obsessed with digital access,” commented PQ Media Executive VP and Research Director Dr Leo Kivijarv. “Older demographics that grew up in a linear environment, enjoy feeling and touching print books, while younger demos turn to printed books due to screen fatigue after spending hours on social media, streaming video and videogames.”

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