You spend an average of 4 hours and 23 minutes a day watching videos: are you addicted ?

Médiamétrie's figures for the year 2024 were released yesterday. The company specializing in audience measurement and analysis of media consumption has finally delivered its verdict: we still spend just as much time with our eyes glued to a screen. On average, that's 4 hours and 23 minutesprecisely that we dedicate to this activity. Even if the figure is less than the year 2023 (4 h 37), this decrease is minimal and is not enough to reverse the trend: we are increasingly connected. This despite the obvious dangers that this overconsumption represents.

Television, a classic that endures

Good old television maintains its dominance despite the passing of time; it represents 64% of total viewing time. This phenomenon could be explained by several factors: ease of use, a diverse offering adapted to all audiences, without forgetting that the small screen is often associated with moments of collective sharing between friends or family.

A predominance that can also be explained by the major events that punctuated the year 2024. The opening ceremony of the Olympic Games on July 26 and its iconic flying cauldron thus brought together 24.4 million viewers, setting a historic audience record. The political deadlines also mobilized households: 23.2 million French people gathered in front of their screens to follow the legislative debates.

Soon, the audiovisual landscape will experience a major upheaval: the scheduled shutdown of several channels on DTT, including C8 and NRJ12 (February 28), which will lead to a reorganization of the numbering. This will undoubtedly lead to significant changes in viewers' consumption habits and, consequently, in audiences.

Replay and streaming are exploding

Even if they remain well behind TV, digital platforms are gradually gaining ground, now representing 36% of screen time. YouTube takes the lion's share, with the 41 minutes we spend on it every day on average. The replay services of the historic channels are particularly attractive: 80% consult them monthly. The last quarter of 2024 recorded a 10% increase in attendance compared to the beginning of the year, with 11.6 million regular users. By regular, we mean here: at least one on-demand content viewed.

As Laurence Deléchapt, TV & Cross Media Director at Médiamétrie, notes: ” Controlling the choice of when to watch content is becoming a habit for the French “. This is a real break with the era of linear television before the 2000s where programs were imposed by the grids.

We are therefore witnessing a real diversification of video consumption methods: the French are adapting very well to new means of broadcasting, without however abandoning traditional formats. Greater freedom that has not prevented the average viewing time from falling back to roughly that of the pre-COVID period, which was then 4 hours 24 minutes in 2019.

• The French still spend more than four hours a day in front of screens, with a slight decrease compared to the previous year.
• Television remains the majority thanks to unifying events such as the Olympic Games and elections, but digital platforms are progressing.
• Replay and streaming are gaining popularity, providing greater viewing freedom.

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