YouTube has overtaken TVNZ 1 as New Zealand's most used media, new research from NZ On Air shows.
Photo: Supplied / 123RF
NZ On Air's Where are the Audiences? 2020 research shows traditional media audiences have been overtaken by digital media for the first time.
More than half the population uses YouTube for either video or music streaming, while TVNZ 1, which has been the most popular channel, site or station since 2014, is used by 44 percent of people on any given day.
Netflix and Facebook sit third-equal, with 36 percent of people using the two sites for video streaming, then Spotify is in fifth with 28 percent of people using the music streaming service.
Cameron Harland, the chief executive of NZ On Air, said the research is vital to understanding the fast-changing media landscape.
"It's been a tough year all round, and this research brings home what a fight local content makers and platforms have on their hands," Harland said.
"Our challenge as an agency, alongside the industry, is to work harder to find ways of engaging local audiences with the exceptional quality of New Zealand stories and songs."
The survey, which talked to 1511 people across landlines and online, found 61 percent of people watch television, and 60 percent watch online video.
TVNZ 1 was listed as being the most trustworthy news source during the Covid-19 lockdown.
It also said half of people listen to the radio each day, while 44 percent stream music.
RNZ National and Newstalk ZB increased their daily audiences since 2018, while nearly all other radio stations had a declining or stable audience.
