Global media consumption decline in 2025
We’re at a turning point. For the first time since 2009, global media consumption is about to fall. The data from PQ Media points to a 0.3% drop in 2025. This is a clear signal. Consumer attention is becoming a tighter resource, and the momentum we’ve relied on from digital growth is slowing. In 2024, we saw a temporary bump, a 2.4% increase globally, averaging 57.2 hours of media consumption per week. That spike came largely from event-driven engagement like the Summer Olympics. But as we look to 2025, those high-attention anchor events won’t be there to prop up engagement.
For executives navigating ad budgets, product launches, or content planning, this matters. We’re entering a phase where attention is retracting slightly, especially in high-value markets. Traditional media hasn’t just lost its shine; it’s rapidly shedding its reach. And up to now, digital media was handling the overage, absorbing the demand vacuum. But that cover is fading.
Make no mistake, this isn’t decline because of lack of access. People have enough options. Adding more platforms won’t necessarily grow usage. The growth era of media consumption is slowing down, and leadership teams that recognize this pattern early can make smarter, leaner decisions.
Media consumption saturation in mature markets
In developed countries like the U.S., media usage has likely peaked. Devices are everywhere, platforms are saturated, and behavior is stabilizing. The average user now spends over 8 hours a day with media, up from about 7.4 in 2019. That growth curve is flattening. We’re dealing with fatigue, more platforms don’t always mean more engagement.
Odd-numbered years, like 2025, naturally see slower media activity. They don’t have the same lineup of high-traction events: no Olympics, no major elections. This isn’t a surprise. But what’s important is that we’re no longer seeing other digital events fill that gap. Consumers aren’t hopping to new platforms the way they used to ten years ago. The sense of novelty is weaker. Emerging technologies like AI and the metaverse have yet to deliver the kind of attention gravity that smartphones or social networks did during their rise.
Most businesses chase growth without balancing saturation. The firms winning in this landscape aren’t adding more, they’re improving what already exists. The shift is about precision. When growth in attention slows down, quality, not quantity, carries more weight.
Continued growth in digital media, led by mobile video
Digital media’s growth hasn’t stopped, it’s just becoming more targeted. In 2024, digital platforms rose to claim 39.7% of total global media usage, up from 37.3% the year before. It’s a clear sign that user behavior is consolidating, not expanding for the sake of novelty, but adapting for efficiency, convenience, and relevance. One format stood out above the rest: mobile video. Consumption in this segment jumped 16.7%. That matters.
We’re looking at a media environment where content that is quick to access, easy to consume, and fits around user-controlled schedules is outperforming. Mobile video aligns with that shift. Users aren’t watching more across the board, they’re spending more time where they feel return on attention is high.
This will influence how media companies, advertisers, and even product-led enterprises plan their outreach. Mobile isn’t just a second channel anymore. It’s commanding a greater share of market attention, and that attention is often more engaged, because it’s user-initiated and integrated into how people actually live.
Executives should think about this as a resource allocation issue. If your go-to-market strategy still treats digital media as a future state or second tier to traditional broadcast or static formats, you’re overspending in low-return zones. Resource deployment must align with actual consumption. Mobile-first doesn’t mean mobile-only, but it does mean re-evaluating legacy asset alignment in a media environment that prioritizes immediacy and portability.
The rise of mobile video specifically should also guide decisions around platform partnerships, ad delivery formats, and localized content strategies. Optimization here is no longer experimental, it’s required.
Enduring significance of traditional media channels
TV still dominates in a world that’s supposed to be post-TV. In 2024, television, which includes live broadcasts, digital streams, OTT platforms, and on-demand video, accounted for 28.07 weekly hours of consumer engagement. That’s more than any other media channel measured. Traditional platforms haven’t disappeared; they’ve adapted without losing their core influence.
While total media consumption is tightening, legacy formats still offer access to deep and diverse audiences. One area showing major upside is film and home video. With a 10.4% increase in 2024, this growth was fueled by the surge of direct-to-streaming blockbuster releases and renewed investment in cinematic content for digital platforms.
Executives need to look beyond the headline narrative that traditional formats are in decline. Decline in overall share doesn’t mean irrelevance. For many demographics, and especially for high-impact marketing or large-audience campaigns, these channels still deliver reach that outperforms niche digital plays.
Leo Kivijarv from PQ Media summed it up well, marketers often overlook that traditional platforms still hold audience volumes larger than newer, trendier digital formats like influencer-driven or content marketing models. The data supports that view. While performance marketing strategies tied to digital channels may show short-term ROI, traditional formats offer long-term audience equity, especially when merged intelligently with digital distribution.
Executives should be capitalizing on hybrid delivery models. The most resilient strategies aren’t treating digital and traditional as opposing verticals but as methods of surfacing the same message through the most effective distribution paths. De-prioritizing traditional channels too quickly risks leaving behind proven systems of scale and engagement.
Declining share of Ad-Supported media consumption
The total time people spend with media has gone up, but they’re spending a smaller slice of that time on ad-supported platforms. In 2024, only 52.7% of media usage was allocated to ad-supported content, down from 55.5% in 2019. This shift reflects consumer preference for control, uninterrupted experiences, and high-quality content often delivered through subscriptions or premium platforms.
For executives, this is a signal to adapt monetization strategies. Ad-supported models are under pressure. Consumers are becoming more selective. If the content isn’t relevant, or the experience is interrupted too often, they leave. That pattern will only accelerate as platforms with paid or ad-free options grow their user base and continue to invest in superior content pipelines.
This doesn’t mean companies should stop investing in advertising. It means the ad formats, context, and platforms must evolve. Short bursts of high-relevance ad content within trusted environments, often vertical video on mobile, are gaining traction. Long-form, forced-view formats on traditional platforms are falling out of favor, even if their overall reach remains high.
C-suite teams should also look at revenue diversification. A declining share of ad-supported media means companies dependent on that model for revenue need to build parallel monetization strategies, subscriptions, licensing deals, or in-platform commerce.
Consumer behavior is clear: they’re choosing fewer interruptions, more control, and better content. The path forward is smarter placement, cleaner formats, and faster pivoting when the data indicates friction.
Resilience of traditional formats like printed books
With all the attention on digital transformation, some expected old media formats to vanish. They haven’t. Printed books, for example, remain widely consumed and continue to perform well across all age groups. For many consumers, especially older and high-consuming segments, traditional formats still deliver value in a way digital doesn’t fully replace.
New tech like AI or the metaverse has generated interest, but it hasn’t yet translated into the kind of deep, consistent engagement required to shift media habits at scale. These innovations are still in early adoption across mass markets. Consumer behavior hasn’t moved fast enough to mirror the hype.
What’s happening instead is plateaued interest in “new for the sake of new.” Consumers are increasingly purposeful in how they spend their time. Format loyalty remains high when the experience is familiar, reliable, and simple. Printed books meet that criteria. They don’t compete with other content mid-session. They don’t require connectivity or updates. That matters, especially in saturated attention environments.
For business leaders, this is a reminder not to over-index on trend cycles. Just because a format is older doesn’t mean it’s less effective. Wherever core user experience remains strong, legacy options deserve continued support. Efforts to sunset traditional formats too quickly can cut off stable revenue streams and alienate consistent users.
Innovation works best when it enhances behavior, not when it assumes complete behavioral overhaul. Right now, data supports the idea that many traditional consumption habits are holding their ground, and in some categories, even seeing renewed growth.
Main highlights
- Global media usage will decline for the first time since 2009: Leaders should anticipate a 0.3% drop in global media time in 2025 as the post-Olympic surge fades and digital growth no longer offsets traditional decline. Plan for tighter competition over consumer attention.
- Consumption has peaked in mature markets: Executives in developed markets must recalibrate growth expectations as digital saturation and the absence of major events slow media engagement. Strategy should shift from expansion to optimization.
- Mobile video is leading digital gains: Investment in mobile-first content and ad formats is critical, with mobile video consumption up 16.7% and digital capturing over 39% of total media time. Prioritize user-initiated, short-form content delivery.
- Traditional media remains highly relevant: Despite digital growth, TV still commands the most weekly consumer hours and film saw 10.4% growth. Hybrid media strategies combining traditional reach with digital targeting will outperform single-channel approaches.
- Consumers are moving away from ad-supported content: With ad-supported media dropping to 52.7% of usage, leaders must diversify monetization, shifting to subscriptions, product tie-ins, or smarter ad formats to maintain engagement and revenue.
- Legacy formats like print still hold attention: Printed books remain popular across demographics, signaling that some traditional formats retain strong loyalty. Leaders should support high-performing legacy formats instead of prematurely reallocating resources.
