Traditional and Digital Media: The Lines Are Blurring

All media is digital.

OK, that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but the lines between traditional and digital media have been blurred as all traditional media content can be accessed digitally. Talking about one without the other does not provide a complete picture of what is taking place in the ever-changing media universe.

First, what’s happening with media usage in general? eMarketer’s June 2016 report, “US Time Spent with Media,” projects that people will spend more time consuming media in 2016 than ever before — over 12 hours each day.

What’s driving this growth? Time spent with digital. Consumers will continue to spend more time with digital media than any other — five hours and 43 minutes per day or 47 percent of total media time.

This includes watching video content, listening to digital radio, interacting on social networks, etc. and reflects a 37 percent increase in time spent with digital since 2012.

But what’s really driving this growth is mobile devices. Consumers now spend three hours and six minutes per day or 54 percent of digital time on their mobile devices. That’s one hour and 38 minutes more per day spent on mobile devices than in 2012.

Digital usage has also eaten into traditional media usage. Time spent with traditional media has dropped since 2012, from seven hours and 29 minutes per day down to six hours and 22 minutes.

While people spend more time with television than any other medium after digital, 34 percent of their media time, usage has decreased from four hours and 38 minutes per day down to four hours and 5 minutes per day. Radio usage has dropped from one hour and 32 minutes per day down to one hour and 27 minutes per day. Print has taken the biggest hit, having dropped from 40 minutes per day down to 28 minutes per day.

So, why isn’t traditional media just traditional media anymore? It’s because it’s digital now. Haven’t you been following along? Take television for example. Not only can you watch traditional broadcast and cable programming on your television, but thanks to advancements in internet bandwidth and speed, you can now watch that same programming on your computer or mobile device as well. And thanks to apps on smart TVs and connected TV technology like Apple TV and Google Chromecast, you can watch digital content from sources like Netflix and Amazon video on your TV as well. Lines blurred.

But don’t fret too much traditionalists. eMarketer reports that consumers still view nearly 80 percent of video content on TVs.

Another way that TV is blending with digital is that 25 percent of TV viewers access the same content online and on their TVs at the same time. For example, can’t think of the name of that actor on your TV? Go to IMDB.com and find out. That game on your TV not giving you enough statistics? Go to ESPN.com and track the live stats on your phone.

In the “Infinite Dial 2016” report, Edison Research states that while broadcast radio still controls 54 percent of all listening, digital radio is growing quickly, with over 57 percent of the population having listened using digital technologies. The iHeartRadio app allows you to listen to your favorite broadcast radio stations on your computer or mobile devices wherever you are. Digital connectivity even allows you to listen to digital music in that last bastion of traditional radio — your car. Or, to blur the lines even more, you can listen to Pandora or Spotify through their apps on your smart TV.

Magazines and newspapers publish digital editions through apps and websites to reach consumers online and provide fresh content for them to consume. The main growth area in out-of-home is digital boards, not only in billboard form, but also in the form of digital signage in stores, restaurants, bars and mass-transit.

The bottom line is that traditional and digital media are quickly becoming one and the same. As technology advances and digitally connected devices become more advanced, more affordable and, therefore, more readily available, the lines that divide traditional and digital media will continue to blur and one day disappear. 

Brian Kratkiewicz is senior vice president and director of media and innovation for marketing communications firm CJRW. The agency has offices in Little Rock and Springdale.