Reading vs. The World—An Immersive Media & Reading 2020 Consumer Survey Preview

Media engagement habits changed dramatically over the past decade as a variety of digital formats have become more accessible, more diverse, more fragmented, and more expensive. In 2010, the iPad debuted, Netflix was still predominantly in the DVD business, gaming was casually dismissed as a niche interest primarily for boys who didn’t like to read, and libraries were barely on the mainstream radar in digital conversations.

Fast forward to 2020, digital content has exploded in every medium—including books, TV, movies, and gaming—and consumers have more options than ever, most of which come at a premium cost on top of their growing internet and mobile data bills. Meanwhile, libraries have played an important role in expanding the readership of ebooks and audiobooks, so much so that some publishers have claimed they might be having a negative impact on consumer sales.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Americans averaged 2.8 hours per day watching TV in 2019, the most popular leisure activity by far. Meanwhile, reading averaged just .27 hours per day; playing games, .26 hours per day. The average time spent in each activity by those who engaged in it—eg, not everyone watches TV, reads, or plays games—shows an even more dramatic difference. (Source: Table A-1)

  • 3.6 hours/day watching TV

  • 2.68 hours/day playing games

  • 1.5 hours/day reading

In the four years USBLS explicitly measured all three leisure activities (2016-2019), the average time watching TV stayed consistent while reading and gaming are on different trajectories.

This year, the Panorama Project is leading a major consumer research initiative designed to measure media engagement and buying behaviors across key formats and platforms, including reading, streaming, and gaming: Immersive Media & Reading 2020. The first wave of data collection is almost completed and is expected to offer some interesting insights into how consumer behavior has changed from before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Join us on Thursday, November 5th @ 1pm EST for a preview of Immersive Media & Reading 2020 with lead researcher Dr. Rachel Noorda and members of the Panorama Project’s Consumer Research Committee, Brian O’Leary and Alan Inouye. Our panelists will discuss the consumer research initiative’s origins, development, goals, and methodology, and present a high-level overview of the results from the first wave of the survey.

The 45-minute presentation will include a Q&A segment where panelists will answer attendees’ questions submitted during the live session.