Canadians are spending more time online than they are in front of their television sets, the first time Internet usage has jumped ahead of TV watching, a new survey by the Ipsos Reid polling firm suggests.
But they're still watching TV on their computers as more shows migrate online, said Mark Laver, associate vice-president of Ipsos Reid.
"We're not necessarily watching less television," Laver said Monday from Calgary.
"We're watching television in a different form in a different medium. Some of that increase in Internet usage is coming from people watching shows online."
Overall, Canadians are now spending more than 18 hours a week online, compared with 16.9 hours watching television, says the Interactive Reid Report.
Internet usage is up from 14.9 hours last year, while the number of hours watching television also rose in the last year, from 15.8 hours in 2009. Use of newspapers, radio and magazines have all remained relatively stable in the last year.
Some industry watchers have noted the cost of watching TV is rising as cable TV companies and satellite operators raise the monthly cost of service. As that happens, more people are watching TV online for free.
On Monday, the CRTC gave financially ailing TV networks a victory, ruling that the networks can seek payment from cable and satellite companies for the right to carry broadcast signals.
The CRTC said the networks can even choose to withhold their signals from a cable company if negotiations go bust.
But the federal broadcast regulator said before negotiations can get going, it wants the Federal Court of Appeal to rule on whether the new system is legally sound.
The Ipsos Reid poll was done in the last quarter of 2009 and questioned 839 Canadian adults.
by: The Canadian Press
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