Regulator says 40pc of us are watching less traditional TV as Netflix grabs more viewers

Red C research for Comreg says 40pc of Irish people are either watching less traditional television or have given it up altogether due to online streaming alternatives.

Comreg says Netflix and other online streaming platforms are taking audience share from traditional TV broadcasters

Photo: Nick Ansell/PA

Comreg says Netflix and other online streaming platforms are taking audience share from traditional TV broadcasters

Photo: Nick Ansell/PA

Adrian Weckler Twitter Email

March 30 2021 01:19 PM

Ireland’s telecoms regulator says that 40pc of Irish people watch less traditional television programming or have given it up altogether.

Comreg said that services such as Netflix and Disney+ have now replaced large swathes of Irish television viewing.

The figures, from research carried by Red C on behalf of Comreg, emerged as RTÉ comes under growing pressure to replace falling television advertising revenue.

The national broadcaster is currently asking staff to take a pay cut, promising that it will be restored in two years when commercial conditions improve.

However, the Comreg figures add to growing industry evidence that advertising for traditional television and radio content is likely to continue a long term decline. Speaking on RTE radio’s ‘The Business’ programme earlier this month, RTE director general Dee Forbes was unable to say where additional revenue would come from to honour the station’s pay restoration promise in two years’ time.

The Red C survey of 1,480 people for Comreg says that Netflix now has as many users in Ireland as Sky, with Virgin Media’s TV platform in fourth place behind Saorview.

It also says that smart TVs are now twice as prevalent as ‘traditional’ TVs, with greater access to Netflix and other online streaming services now available without subscribing to a traditional TV provider.

The incidence of watching less traditional television programming is consistent across all age groups and is more prevalent outside Dublin, Comreg’s survey suggests.

Meanwhile, almost half of those surveyed said they would benefit from faster broadband services, with those outside Dublin reporting a higher level of interest in getting a faster broadband service.

72pc of people say they are likely to take up a faster broadband service if it becomes available in their area, the Red C research says.