Adults in the United Kingdom spend an average of 4 hours and 20 minutes a day online, across phones, tablets, and computers, with over three-quarters of that on a phone. Those aged 18-24 spend an average of just over 6 hours a day online, with women spending an hour a day more than men. Research from the communications regulator Ofcom surveys the online landscape.

Almost half of the time spent is on services owned by Alphabet including Google and YouTube, or Meta, with Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, at just over 2 hours a day on average.

Alphabet had a monthly reach of 99% of all adults in the United Kingdom, followed by Meta at 96%.

YouTube was used by more than nine in ten adults in a month and by over half of online adults in day.

The sites and apps of Amazon, Microsoft and the BBC were the third, fourth, and fifth most visited organisations online.

The BBC had a monthly reach of 83% overall and 80% among those aged 18-24, dropping to 76% for those aged 25-34. However, the average time spent online per day with the BBC was just six minutes, compared to an hour each for Alphabet and Meta.

About three-quarters of online 18-24-year-olds visited TikTok in a month, spending an average of over an hour a day on the service. It was ranked sixth in reach among those aged 18-24, reaching over three quarters of them.

Even older adults spend over three hours a day online, based on the survey data from Ipsos. Those aged 55-64 spent 3 hours 47 minutes, 2 hours 39 minutes of which was on a phone. Among those aged over 65, the total was 3 hours 10 minutes, of which 1 hour 47 minutes was on a phone.

Among smartphone users, just over half said they used an Apple iPhone, with the rest using Android. Apple iPhone users were more likely to be younger, at 69% of those aged 16-24, and more affluent, at 58% of those in the AB socio-economic group.

Over three-quarters of homes had a smart television, rising to 83% for those in a household with those aged 35-44, and 82% of all those in socio-economic group AB.

However, 5% of households said they do not have internet access at home. 13% of those aged over 65 still do not have internet access at home, down from 18% in 2023, while a further 2% have access to the internet at home but do not use it.

The annual research from Ofcom provides many statistical insights into the use of online services in the United Kingdom.

The Online Nation 2024 Report is available from the Ofcom web site.

www.ofcom.org.uk

OzTAM, the Australian television measurement body, has launched VOZ Streaming, a multi-broadcaster video-on-demand programmatic advertising trading system. Developed through extensive industry collaboration, it provides full access to the on-demand advertising inventory of all the free-to-air commercial broadcasters in Australia. It will enable targeted trading using the OzTAM demographic dataset with a privacy-first approach.

With broadcaster video-on-demand viewing reaching around 11 million people a month in Australia, VOZ Streaming enables advertisers to trade across the 7plus, 9Now, 10 play, and SBS On Demand services, aggregating their combined scale while enhancing the viewer experience through frequency capping across them using a consistent anonymised identifier.

VOZ streaming will also support post analysis using the VOZ Total TV database to reveal the incremental reach and frequency that broadcaster video-on-demand delivers to broadcast television campaigns.

In 2025, VOZ Streaming will include first-party data matching through a partnership with Snowflake.

Karen Halligan, the chief executive of OzTAM, said: “Our extensive industry consultations have been instrumental in shaping VOZ Streaming, responding to the call for a streamlined, universal approach to programmatic BVOD trading across the networks.”

Advertising platforms including Magnite, Microsoft Advertising and The Traded Desk have been involved in the development and integration of VOZ Streaming, with more to be announced.

OzTAM is the official source of television audience measurement in Australia. Virtual Australia, or VOZ, is the foundation of its Total TV measurement standard, combining panel measurement of broadcast viewing on television sets and broadcaster video-on-demand viewing on connected devices. It will become the standard advertising trading currency in Australia from the end of 2024.

oztam.com.au

The online video platform Brightcove has agreed to be acquired by Bending Spoons for $233 million in cash. Previous acquisitions by the Italian company have resulted in cost cutting and staff being shed. Meanwhile, Bending Spoons promotes its corporate culture of spectacular parties and company retreats in exotic locations.

Brightcove was founded in Boston by Jeremy Allaire in 2004 as an online video platform. It was named after a harbour in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. It initially courted broadcasters and publishers, then found a place with corporate clients, but found it hard to compete with YouTube.

The company went public in 2012 at $11 a share and within months reached a peak of $24. It returned to a high of about $21 in 2021 but slid down after that. The purchase price of $4.45 per share apparently represents a 90% premium over the recent average share price.

The transaction is expected close in the first half of 2025, at which point Brightcove will be delisted and become a privately held company.

“We are pleased to have entered into this definitive agreement with Bending Spoons, which represents the culmination of a comprehensive strategic review process led by our Board of Directors and with the support of our management team and advisors,” said Diane Hessan, the chairman of the Brightcove board. “As the board considered the long-term path for Brightcove, we unanimously determined that this transaction represents the best opportunity to maximize the value of the business and deliver compelling, certain, and immediate cash value to our stockholders.”

Marc DeBevoise, the chief executive of Brightcove, said: “Brightcove is a storied and successful enterprise SaaS leader with 20 years of history, 12 of them as a public company. We have been a pioneer and innovator in the streaming market, from the early days of video player technologies to the leading video-powered engagement platform we are today. Today’s announcement will enable Brightcove to leverage the technology and market expertise of Bending Spoons and best position Brightcove to continue to thrive in the streaming and engagement technology market.”

Bending Spoons is apparently named after a scene in The Matrix where a boy bends a spoon with his mind. For others it may call to mind the supposedly paranormal powers of Uri Geller.

The co-founder and chief executive of Bending Spoons, Luca Ferrari, said it would continue to operate the Brightcove business after the acquisition. “When Bending Spoons acquires a business, we do so with the intention of owning and operating it indefinitely,” he said. “With this in mind, we’re excited about building on the strong work of the current team, and ensuring Brightcove thrives for many years to come.”

Bending Spoons has grown through acquisition, buying Evernote, Issuu, Meetup, Remini, StreamYard, Splice, and WeTransfer. The company acquired the online file transfer service WeTransfer in July and in September it was reported that it was laying off three quarters of its staff.

www.brightcove.com
bendingspoons.com