A study of the non-linear TV audience of the Maltese state broadcaster

Abstract

This study is the first one of its kind both for the State Broadcaster and also for Malta. The main goal is to establish the most relevant areas in the world of the non-linear online audience and to form the foundation for the implementation of regular seasonal assessments of this dynamic reality. Findings show that on-demand news clips published with stories on the news portal are very popular. From all the content broadcast on linear television and which is made available through the on-demand catch-up service, the most relevant are the news bulletin and the drama episodes. All the other television programmes together constitute only a small percentage. Viewers have a tendency of viewing the online drama episodes on the next day of the broadcast, with most views coming from a mobile device. Majority of the viewing occurs in the afternoon, with the peak viewing point coinciding with the prime time on linear television. Content is the key determining factor of choice, with the non-linear pattern varying when coinciding with powerful content on the the linear broadcast. Similarities of preference are also found between the two systems. The appetite for content shows off again with the engagement patterns. Whereas video clips tend to lose viewers across the length of the clip, drama content has a different engagement. Viewers tend to view the whole content but systematically skip repetitive content and commercial information. Interest is also registered from foreign countries with Australia registering the most substantial viewership. These new insights will help starting to understand today’s non-linear audience to be able to serve it in the future.