Executive Summary

In Japan, both TV and digital time spent will accelerate more than expected in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting semi-lockdowns. However, the postponement of the Summer Olympics will limit the increase.

How much time are adults in Japan spending with media?

Adult consumers in Japan will spend 7 hours, 36 minutes (7:36) daily with media in 2020, which represents a 13-minute increase over 2019, and a slightly greater acceleration than we previously expected.

How much of this time is spent with TV?

TV remains a dominant source of media consumption in Japan, and for the most part it is holding the line against the emergence of digital media options. Time spent with TV in Japan will inch up by 4 minutes, to a total of 3:27 per person per day.

Will COVID-19 quarantines impact time spent with digital media?

We previously estimated that Japan’s daily time spent with digital had been growing roughly 5 minutes per year, with a 3-minute boost in 2020. However, our new post-pandemic forecast anticipates an 8-minute increase this year, to 3:20.

How popular is digital video in Japan?

Digital video consumption per day in Japan will reach only 46 minutes in 2020 (out of 4:13 watching video of any kind), but this figure is steadily increasing both in aggregate and proportionally.

Which form of media engagement is growing the fastest?

Although time spent with TV will impressively still grow by 2% in 2020, this rate lags considerably behind time spent online (which will grow by 5.7%), time spent watching digital videos (up 7.5%), and time spent on smartphones (up 7.7%).

WHAT’S IN THIS REPORT? This report presents our latest estimates for time spent with media in Japan, including TV, digital, radio and print.

KEY STAT: Adults in Japan will spend 56.0% of their total media time with traditional media in 2020, compared with just 44.0% for digital. TV, radio and print will collectively hold the attention of consumers for 4:15 per day.