Published on January 27Luc Boulanger La Presse

Subscriptions to online platforms exceed those of traditional TV, reveals a survey conducted by the Academy of Digital Transformation (ATN) of Laval University, made public this week. Results that confirm the popularity of paid online viewing services, the hegemony of Netflix and the effects of the pandemic on our entertainment habits.

Entitled Digital Portrait of Quebec Households, this survey of 1,033 adult Internet users in October 2021 indicates that 71% of respondents subscribe to at least one paid online viewing service (such as Netflix, Amazon Prime or Disney+), compared to 66% for a cable or fiber optic television service. For the first time in 2021, these platforms have even surpassed traditional television services in Quebec homes. The latter show a decrease of 13% since 2018.

Netflix dominates

Unsurprisingly, the Netflix platform remains the most popular with Internet users surveyed, with a subscription rate of 57%, an increase of 5 points. Next come the Amazon Prime (29%), Disney+ (18%), Club Illico (16%), ICI Tou.tv Extra (9%) and Crave (8%) platforms.

“Adults aged 18 to 54 are still the most likely to subscribe to at least one paid service to watch films or series on the Internet, while subscribing to a cable television service or optical fiber is more popular among older people [75% of those aged 55 and over, compared to 53% for 18-34 year olds]”, specifies the spokesperson for the “NETendances” surveys at the ATN, Bruno Guglielminetti.

Sharp rise in home entertainment devices

The study shows that nearly 6 in 10 adults (58%) spent more time in front of screens at home last year. No doubt a collateral effect of confinement? “It is above all an achievement, says Bruno Guglielminetti. We thought we had reached a plateau during the first wave, but the trend is still on the rise in 2021.”

According to the spokesperson, one of the highlights of the study is the great popularity of smart TV, which has seen a 21-point increase in 12 months.

Present in 28% of homes in 2016, smart televisions are found in 60% of our homes five years later, downgrading video game consoles (41%).

Now, according to the study, three-quarters of Quebec adults (74%) now own at least one home entertainment device (video game console, smart TV or streaming media player), an increase of 8% in one year. An adoption rate that should continue to grow, according to ATN experts.

“The pandemic has caused a major transformation in the use of digital technology in our lives, particularly in the field of entertainment, remarks Bruno Guglielminetti. For the past two years, Quebecers have invested heavily in the purchase of new devices. In the medium term, they will want to make their investments profitable. They have also created new consumer habits in home cultivation. It will be difficult to undo these habits and get people out after the pandemic. It may require a lot of work on the part of the cultural community to attract people to their events outside. »