Digital Use Is Up, but Traditional Media Still Commands the Majority of Ad Spend in Austria

Digital, mobile and social media usage in Austria is widespread, but consumers place higher trust in traditional media, according to eMarketer’s latest forecast.

We estimate nearly 79% of the population in Austria will use the internet regularly this year, slightly above the average for Western Europe. In addition, thanks to competing mobile operators and increased 4G coverage and speeds, the number of smartphone users in Austria has risen and now makes up more than 82% of all mobile phone users.

However, while digital usage rates are up, consumers are savvy about digital privacy and wary of content on social media, leading advertisers to spend cautiously on social platforms. This translates to low overall digital ad spending.

We expect digital will capture 20.6% of total media ad spend in 2018, the lowest share in Western Europe. That figure is expected to grow to just 22.3% in 2022, meaning traditional media will dominate Austria’s ad market throughout the forecast period.

“Austrians are some of the least trusting of news on social media in Europe. The lack of trust has spilled over into advertising on those platforms, so it’s no wonder that advertisers are hesitant to spend on social,” said Jasmine Enberg, forecasting analyst at eMarketer. “Instead, they continue to direct their ad budgets toward print because of high consumer trust in traditional newspapers and strong readership rates.”