8 key trends in the United States’ and Canada’s media consumption for 2022

Article by Insider Intelligence Analysts | Nov 7, 2022

Each year, our analysts dig into media and device usage across the world. In total, we looked at 44 markets. Here’s a look at eight key insights our analysts found in the United States and Canada.

United States:

TV viewership in the US is higher than in any other country tracked by GWI, in terms of time spent viewing TV. The US appetite for linear TV is fueled by a wide array of programming choices, including a surplus of services delivered via digital channels across devices.
Mobile media consumption continues to displace viewership and listenership in traditional channels. In addition to getting their entertainment on smartphones, consumers are spending more time using mobile apps, especially for social networking and messaging.
Audio listenership is up across the country, led by growth in music streaming, audiobooks, and podcasts. Audio listening hours are on the rise, including for radio, which remains stable.
Smart device adoption is accelerating as internet-connected peripherals become the norm. Smartphones are ubiquitous, smart TVs are more common than standalone TVs, and smart wearables like watches and wristbands have become mainstream.

Canada:

Mobile media consumption in Canada trails many other similar countries tracked by GWI. While the smartphone market is nearly fully saturated, average daily time spent on mobile devices is relatively low—over half an hour less than in the US.
Online streaming is gaining on broadcast TV viewership, both in terms of the penetration rate of internet users and daily time spent with each medium. An increase in the number of available VOD services is fueling this shift, as is heavier adoption of digital devices that make it easy to stream, like smart TVs.
Audio listenership is expanding, as more listeners tune in to a variety of formats. Traditional radio remains fairly fixed, but digital formats like music streaming, audiobooks, and podcasts are significantly growing the total listening audience in Canada.
Social media usage continues to rise, driven by new platforms that attract younger audiences. Most users report they use several social networks to meet a variety of entertainment and communication needs.