Observatoire de l'équipement audiovisuel des foyers de France métropolitaine - TV and radio results for the 3rd and 4th quarters of 2022

Editorial

Arcom and its partners present the results of last year's Observatoire de l'équipement audiovisuel des foyers, which includes data for the second half of 2022 for television and 2022 for radio.

The trends observed in previous editions are confirmed in the2nd half of 2022, with the transition to digital continuing at a rapid pace for television, both in terms of reception mode and equipment. The increase is more measured for radio reception and DAB+ device equipment.

Audiovisual equipment

The number of screens used to view audio and video content in the household has multiplied in recent years, stabilizing at an average of 5.6 screens per household in H2 2022. Television remains the most widespread broadcast medium, with 90.1% of households equipped, despite a downward trend (-2.4 points in 3 years). It is still ahead of the computer (86.2%), which remains stable, and the tablet (46.9%). The smartphone continues to increase, with 81.9% of people aged 11 and over equipped (+6.5 points in three years).

Households located in small towns, with older (50+) and lower socio-professional categories, are the most equipped with TV sets, while households with younger reference persons are clearly over-represented among those not equipped, testifying to a kind of generational break in usage.

Television reception modes

Driven by the rapid growth of fiber reception (42.7% of households in Q4 2022, +8.3 points in one year), Internet reception now concerns two-thirds of TV-equipped households (66.1%, +3.2 points in one year), with almost half receiving TV solely by this means (45.3% of equipped households, +5.7 points in one year). Conversely, DTT reception continues to decline (42.4%, -2.9 points in one year), although the situation varies from region to region. DTT reception still concerns half of households in Normandy and Brittany, and remains the sole means of television access for 19.8% of households.

While the Internet is increasingly asserting itself as the main mode of access on the household's primary TV set, DTT, thanks to its simplicity and quality of reception, still plays a significant role on TV sets, particularly secondary ones (48.2% of multi-equipped households use DTT on at least one secondary set, compared with only 34.4% for IPTV).

Consumption of audiovisual programs on the TV set is renewing itself and retaining a central place in households, thanks to the new functionalities associated with digital technology.

Connected TV equipment and usage

Connected TV equipment accelerated in H2 2022, with 88% of households now equipped (+7 points in one year and +9 points in three years). The TV set-top box from an Internet Service Provider (ISP) remains the main method of connecting the TV to the Internet for 69% of TV-equipped households accessing the Internet. While the use of an Internet Service Provider's TV set-top box remains stable, other connection methods are seeing a significant increase, in particular direct connection via a connected Smart TV (43% of TV-equipped households accessing the Internet, +15 points in three years) and indirect connection via a connected TV box (27%, +8 points in three years).

Among Smart TV-equipped households, almost half (45%) claim to own a Smart TV HbbTV, equipment that enables them to benefit from new functions and applications, including interactive services with live programs.

Apart from linear TV (still predominant), interfaces are mainly used to watch OTT audiovisuel programs and catch-up TV (replay).

Radio

Nearly all individuals aged 13 and over own at least one device for listening to the radio, and multimedia devices, which enable a multiplicity of uses, are more widespread (97.2%, stable over one year) than dedicated devices (91.7%, -2.7 points). Nevertheless, radio listening practices remain mainly linked to dedicated media: the car radio or the on-board computer remain the most widely used devices for listening to the radio, despite a slight drop (48.6%, -2.6 points in one year), followed by the cell phone (39.1%, +2.5 points in one year).

Finally, DAB+ device reception still concerns a minority of the population: 13.7% of individuals aged 13 and over are equipped with a fixed radio or clock radio. Nevertheless, DAB+-compatible car radio equipment continues to increase in 2022, with 16.8% of individuals aged 13 and over now equipped with a DAB+-compatible car radio (+2.6 points in one year).

Juliette Théry

Member ofArcom

President of the Observatoire de l'équipement audiovisuel des foyers de France métropolitaine (Observatory of receiver in homes in mainland France)