Where are the Audiences?
Media in Aotearoa have faced tumultuous changes over the past six months, while digital platforms continue to evolve rapidly. If you’re not currently working from a bespoke communications strategy, this has made it increasingly hard to know exactly how to share your kaupapa with the people who matter to you.
Demystifying the landscape, NZOnAir has just released their latest research.
NZOnAir’s 2024 ‘Where Are The Audiences’ report shows – through 800 telephone and 600 online interviews between April and May 2024 – just how people in Aotearoa are consuming media on an average day. These insights are vital to developing conscious and informed communication strategies conscious so our team gathered to analyse the findings and discuss the results We’ll take you through our main takeaways and observations.
While everyone has flocked to digital platforms in recent years, this latest research indicates that digital migration might be reaching a plateau. This, alongside the resurgence of traditional media like radio and television, are significant insights for our industry.
There is no doubt that digital platforms hold a key place in the current media landscape, but show some signs of slowing down.
Global video-sharing platforms like YouTube, along with social media giants such as Facebook and Instagram, now reach over 64% of New Zealanders daily.
Interestingly, platforms like Instagram are drawing more engagement from older age groups (40-59), while younger users are stepping back slightly.
Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD) services are heavily favoured, engaging 56% of the population, although this is a 1% decrease on last year. Netflix’s reach has slipped significantly from 42% to 38%. This is likely driven by rising subscription costs, more competitors and a shrinking content library.
This research shows that writing off TV and radio in your media strategy would be a mistake, especially when trying to reach Māori and Pacific Peoples.
Television remains a cornerstone in Aotearoa, reaching 60% of viewers daily and 49% during prime time—outperforming global video platforms. While linear TV's reach has dipped to 47%, on-demand services like TVNZ+ hold steady. Kiwis spend more time with TV than any other media, averaging 2 hours and 5 minutes a day.
As the most trusted news source in Aotearoa, TV maintains its crucial role in both entertainment and reliable news delivery.
Māori audiences, in particular, are deeply engaged with Broadcaster Video On Demand (BVOD) platforms such as TVNZ+, highlighting the ongoing connection between traditional media and Māori.
Radio, music streaming, and podcasting continue to thrive across Aotearoa.
Radio holds strong with a 46% daily reach, proving its resilience, especially during the morning peak.
Music streaming touches 49% of the population daily, slightly down from 50% in 2023, yet listeners are spending more time listening—now averaging 73 minutes a day.
Podcasting is also on the rise, with daily reach climbing from 15% in 2023 to 18% in 2024, reflecting the growing appetite for on-demand, in-depth content.
Among Māori audiences, music streaming reaches 33% daily, while podcast consumption has seen remarkable growth, increasing from 14% in 2023 to 23% in 2024.
In Aotearoa we continue to place our trust in traditional news outlets.
TVNZ and Stuff leading the way—each used by 46% of the population.
TVNZ holds its place as the most trusted news source, chosen by 22% of New Zealanders, followed by digital platforms like Stuff and the NZ Herald at 11%.
While social media use for news has slightly declined, trust in established media remains strong, reinforcing the importance of reliable journalism in today’s landscape.
To see the full picture of what media New Zealanders are consuming, read the whole report here:
https://www.nzonair.govt.nz/research/where-are-the-audiences-2024/
Keeping up to date with media habits in Aotearoa is essential for our media and public relations strategies to have the highest level of impact. If you’d like help making sense of what these insights mean for your kaupapa, let’s kōrero.
