Results in on the 2023 media consumption habits of Australians

The results of the 2023 Television and Media Survey provide new insights into how Australians engaged with media in the past year.

Commissioned by the Government each year since 2020, the Media Content Consumption Survey for the first time includes data on the media consumption patterns of children, and the ways in which Australians are using and understanding Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies.
                                         
The 2023 survey highlighted key trends in Aussie media consumption, including: 

  • 95% of Australians think news sites should disclose when Generative AI is used for making news content,and Australians said their trust in news would be negatively impacted if written in full by Generative AI.                                                                                                                    
  • A majority of Australian children aged 8-17 years old have seen content that is age-inappropriate (most commonly on subscription streaming services), as have 42% of children aged 0-7 years old (most commonly on free video streaming services).                                    
  • Sports continue to be a popular screen content choice for Australians, with 51% of people having watched sports content in the past seven days. The most important feature of sports content for Australians was that it is freely available on broadcast television.                               
  • 43% of Australians said they were likely to decrease the amount of sports content they watched if gambling advertising was shown.                                                                             
  • Online streaming services continue to dominate content viewing. However, the use of online subscription services has plateaued after several years of growth, while the use of free video streaming services increased in 2023.                                                              

Information from this survey series, and from other research, continues to be a key source of input to the Government’s media reform agenda.
 
The Albanese Government is committed to modernising media regulations and delivering consistency, transparency and equity for consumers and industry.
 
More information on the 2023 Television and Media Survey and the full survey results are available on the department’s website. For more details, visit https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/media-communications-arts/television/television-media-surveys
 
Quotes attributable to Minister for Communications, the Hon Michelle Rowland MP:
 
“The 2023 Television and Media Survey offers valuable insights into how Australians of all ages are consuming media, and what concerns they want to see addressed.
 
“Importantly, the survey also sheds light on Australian attitudes and expectations surrounding the use of generative AI to produce news content and provides insight into the consumption patterns of children for the very first time.
 
“By undertaking this research, the Government is ensuring its approach to media reform is grounded in evidence of how everyday Australians are engaging with media services and content in the digital age.