KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 23 ― Most Malaysians turn to Internet video platform YouTube as their first choice for video content instead of the traditional television, a new research by TNS Research and Google Malaysia revealed.
In their findings made public today, TNS and Google said that 55 per cent of the 1,000 Malaysians aged between 16 to 64 interviewed during their research preferred YouTube compared to TV platforms.
Malaysia also bucks a global trend with Malaysians spending 65 per cent of their video-watching time on their mobile phones, compared to a global average of only 50 per cent.
The average YouTube session on a mobile device for Malaysians also lasts 80 minutes, double the global average of 40 minutes.
“If we look at viewing patterns throughout the day for millennials, both YouTube and TV have peaks in the evening after work, but it’s striking that YouTube viewership is constantly higher throughout the day.
“With 96 per cent of Malaysians owning some kind of mobile device and 82 per cent owning TVs, it’s not hard to imagine a time when there will be more smartphones than TVs in the country,” said MC Lai, managing director of TNS Malaysia.
Google Malaysia managing director Sajith Sivanandan said that mobile use is the trend that is “driving most change in Malaysia”.
Even those aged between 55 to 64 years are “avid YouTube watchers”, the study said, making it a “mass media destination” in Malaysia.
