Australia’s love affair with streaming continues to thrive with a new report from the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) showing 71 per cent of Australians with a TV set in the home used at least one paid video streaming service in 2019.

One in 10 Australians had four or more subscription services in the home in 2019, up from just four per cent in 2017. Overall 83 per cent of Australian internet users reported viewing either paid or unpaid video content online in the past six months.

In the three months to 30 June 2019, Australians downloaded a total of almost six million terabytes of data, enough to watch around 2.2 billion hours of high-definition video. Of that data, more than 88 per cent was downloaded through fixed internet services.

This data and other insights were published in the ACMA Communications report 2018–19, which provides a comprehensive profile of Australia’s communications and media sector.

ACMA Chair Nerida O’Loughlin said the report shows the ongoing importance of Australia’s fixed network.

“Australians are using their fixed internet connections for data-hungry applications such as video streaming and are spending more time watching content online,” Ms O’Loughlin said.

“Online video and use of smart devices is exploding in popularity as high-speed networks are creating markets for new, innovative services across the Australian economy.

“It’s clear that Australians have embraced technology which is helping drive demand for faster internet.”

The report also shows Australians are increasingly reliant on mobile phones to get online with 87 per cent accessing the internet over their phone compared with 69 per cent for laptops.

Ms O’Loughlin said the report also pointed towards rapid growth in the Internet of Things (IoT) with industry research showing the market for IoT enabled devices in Australian homes rose 57 per cent in the 12 months to 2018 to $1.1 billion.

“It’s a remarkable rise which is being driven by high take-up of smart-products like speakers, appliances, air conditioners and security cameras,” she said.

“The average household is predicted to have 18 IoT-connected devices by 2023.”

Half of Australian adults used a smart device other than a computer, tablet or mobile phone to connect to the internet.

How many streaming services do you subscribe to? Which ones do you use?