News, but not as we knew it!
The changing face of the news cycle, how news is being reported and how people are consuming news is not new news…but have we as communicators actually adapted to this change of pace and the new way in which people are now consuming news?
Daymark had the pleasure of hosting Emeritus Professor Graeme Turner in Brisbane last week to talk about the changing nature of television news in Australia and across the world, customisation of news and the future of television news, along with the potential issues associated with these shifting trends.
Graeme Turner has extensive experience across these topics having conducted a number of large research studies across the world since 2006. His recent research highlights a dramatic shift in the number and age of the people who are consuming news via free to air channels vs tailored type news, like Facebook - among a raft of other trends. Below are some highlights from the session;
- Consumption of news in the under 35’s age bracket shows a clear shift to the use of Facebook over traditional news media, with the use of curated news, which provides users with a constant stream of news articles tailored to what they have read and reacted to previously, within one app.
- Content is still driven largely by traditional media, but how will this affect the future of news as news agencies publish entertainment and opinion pieces at a rapid rate, to differentiate between outlets and attract the younger demographic?
- Customisation is a trend around the world, but how far will it go? Consumers are now experiencing too much choice and to help them choose, apps are now being used to help customers decide between the ever-expanding range of options
- The danger with too much choice is people can experience choice fatigue and bubbles of viewers begin to form, who all consume news by people who are just like them. This means they won’t experience or be exposed to anything else
- Claims Google and Facebook are eating into the free to air market, plus catch up and Netflix are all serious challenges affecting free to air
- Netflix is a known game changer for Australian news and television and only took three months to secure 10% of the Australian market. Compared to pay tv which has taken more than twenty years to secure 28%, Netflix now has 29% of the Australian market after just 2 years.
- Time shifting programs has become hugely popular with top rated shows experiencing up to 50% of the audience time shifting the program, this makes advertising spots less secure and less valuable, which is a big issue for the industry
These are just a few of the topics and facts revealed during our session, but for more information on Professor Graeme Turner’s work, please visit:
https://iash.uq.edu.au/profile/271/emeritus-professor-graeme-turner-faha