Most Australians use the internet to watch professionally produced screen content. Online viewing is a new normal – one that supplements and challenges cinema and broadcast television, and that evolves as quickly as the technology that drives it.

Screen Australia provides research on industry facts and trends to inform government, industry and audiences. In 2014, Screen Australia released the ‘Online and on Demand’ report using Nielsen data, which showed how Australian audiences were using new online options. This updated report examines major changes since 2014, including the Australian launch of subscription platforms such as Netflix and Stan, the evolution of TV broadcaster online services, and the growth of YouTube, Facebook and other social services.

The findings are extensive. Australian video on demand users still watch via traditional platforms, and they are watching more video – using broadcaster, subscription and advertising-driven options. They are pirating less. They choose what to watch based on old and new factors. And with the world’s content at their fingertips, Australian VOD users are seeking out Australian content, and want new Australian screen stories.

This report is designed to help the industry understand its audience, and to inform anyone interested in the place that screen stories have in a modern, online Australia.