Short-form content has emerged as the most popular type of mobile viewing among South Korean consumers. (Image courtesy of Kobiz Media)
SEOUL, Dec. 31 (Korea Bizwire) — A new government survey has revealed that short-form content has emerged as the most popular type of mobile viewing among South Korean consumers, as smartphone usage continues to rise while traditional TV viewing declines.
The Korea Communications Commission and the Korea Association for ICT Promotion released their “2024 Broadcasting Media Usage Behavior Survey” on December 30, offering insights into the nation’s evolving media consumption patterns.
According to the survey, while the proportion of people watching TV at least five days per week decreased to 69.1% from 71.4% last year, smartphone usage for the same frequency increased from 91.4% to 92.2%. Among smartphone users, short-form video content led consumption patterns at 41.8%, followed by video streaming services at 39.4% and live streaming at 26.2%.
The survey highlighted a slight decline in TV ownership rates, dropping to 93.9% from 95.3% the previous year, with single-person households showing an even lower ownership rate at 88.9%. Meanwhile, smartphone penetration continues to grow, driven primarily by increased adoption among older demographics, with users aged 70 and above showing a 6.5 percentage point increase from last year.
Daily media consumption patterns showed similar trends, with average TV viewing time decreasing by 2 minutes to 2 hours and 27 minutes, while smartphone usage increased by 6 minutes to 2 hours and 6 minutes daily.
The study also revealed significant growth in streaming service usage, with 91.2% of users accessing content via smartphones, up 4.9 percentage points from 86.3% last year. Overall streaming service adoption reached 79.2%, with paid subscriptions increasing from 57% to 59.9%.
Short-form content dominated streaming viewing preferences at 70.7%, showing substantial growth from 58.1% the previous year, followed by original programming at 54.3%. The survey found that 18.2% of Netflix and TVING users opted for ad-supported pricing tiers, with the highest adoption rate (21.4%) among users in their 30s. Notably, 64.5% of these users expressed intention to continue their subscriptions.
The research also noted an increasing preference for Korean subtitles, with 20.6% of respondents preferring subtitled domestic TV content, up from 16.8% last year. For streaming content, 29.4% of viewers preferred watching with Korean subtitles.
This national statistics survey, conducted annually since 2000, included face-to-face interviews with 8,316 individuals aged 13 and above from 5,645 households across 17 metropolitan areas and provinces.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
