TORONTO — While newcomers to Canada spend more time on computers and mobile devices than traditional forms of media, the weekly reach levels of TV and radio are still high among new Canadians, according to the second research release from Solutions Research Group’s (SRG) Newcomers to Canada 2021 study.
The new research released this week finds new Canadians were less likely to consume TV or radio in terms of hours, compared to Internet and mobile media consumption. However, when asked about their viewing and listening habits over the past week, newcomers’ responses indicated the reach level of TV and radio were 85% and 68%, respectively, which is close to the reach levels for the general population of Canada for these media. These reach levels included both English/French and multilingual media.
In terms of hours spent on the various forms of media, newcomers used the Internet in general on a PC or tablet for 2.6 hours in an average weekday, and used mobile phones for browsing, streaming or gaming for 2.5 hours. In comparison, they watched or streamed TV shows (whether live, on demand, on regular TV or via the Internet) for about two hours a day, and listened to the radio at home, in a vehicle, at work or elsewhere for just over one hour on an average day.
CBC, CTV and Netflix were the top three TV/video sources mentioned by newcomers on an unaided basis in the last week. According to SRG, these were the only three sources to hit double-digit mentions. CBC was the top TV/video source among Filipino and West Asian newcomers. CTV took the top spot among Chinese newcomers, while Netflix was ranked first among South Asian newcomers.
The top in-language TV channels for Chinese newcomers were Fairchild and OMNI, while TFC and GMA Pinoy TV were top among Filipino newcomers, and Sony and Zee TV were the most popular in-language channels for new Canadians from South Asia.
Newcomers are big users of subscription-based streaming video services, with Netflix and Amazon Prime Video use being similar to the general population in terms of weekly use at 64% and 37%, respectively, according to the study.
Major Chinese and South Asian streaming services such as Tencent, iQIYI, Hotstar and IPTV India were also popular among new Canadians from these backgrounds.
SRG’s Newcomers to Canada 2021 study covered newcomers from five major groups and geographic areas which account for a majority of immigration to Canada, including: South Asian; Chinese; Filipino; West Asian, Arab and Persian; and Latin and Central American newcomers. Participants had to be 18 years or older and new to Canada, having arrived in 2015 or more recently, and currently living in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto or Montreal.
A total of 850 online interviews among newcomers were conducted in multiple languages in March and April 2021. In addition, a total of 600 interviews were conducted among general population respondents aged 18 and older in the same five markets to provide a general point of comparison for selected results.
For more, please visit srgnet.com.
