Global Media Intelligence 2021: China

Noteworthy in 2021

Penetration rates for digital audio and video have surpassed those for broadcast radio and live TV.

• Broadcast TV bounced back from a decline noted in 2020. In H1 2021, 92.9% of internet users ages 16 to 64 in China watched live TV in the month prior to polling, though the average time spent with TV shows each day was marginally lower than in 2020.
• Usage of time-shifted TV viewing options rose substantially year over year (YoY). Almost 80% of internet users watched programs they’d recorded earlier, while 84.4% used broadcasters’ catch-up or on-demand services.
• Digital video consumption continues to outstrip TV viewing, however, with 94.7% of China’s internet users accessing video-on-demand (VOD) services in the previous month. Respondents devoted an estimated 1 hour, 34 minutes (1:34) per day to online TV and video.