Global Media Intelligence 2021: Australia

Noteworthy in 2021

Smart devices are proliferating as digital formats overtake most traditional media.

• For the first time, more than half (52.5%) of internet users ages 16 to 64 owned a smart TV in H1 2021, versus 48.1% in H1 2020. Among individuals in high-income households, smart TV ownership passed 60% this year—though uptake in lower-income homes still lagged at 44.0%.
• Other smart devices also gained ground. Some 15.0% of internet users polled in H1 2021 owned a smart home device, such as a remote-controlled energy monitor. Ownership was notably higher (20.7%) among individuals in high-income households.
• Similarly, smartwatch penetration jumped about 5 percentage points year over year to 19.8% in H1 2021—though ownership among respondents ages 16 to 24 (23.6%) was more than double the rate among 55- to 64-year-olds (10.3%). Smart wristbands posted a much more modest gain, increasing to 11.8%. Minimal increases were noted in most demographics, but ownership remained below 10% among the oldest respondents.