Italy averages 5 screens per household
October 11, 2024
From Branislav Pekic in Rome
The growing number of smart TVs in Italy indicates a growing trend towards digital viewing habits.
According to Lorenzo Sassoli de Bianchi, President of Italian TV audience research company Auditel, smart TVs (22.4 million) have furthered the lead over traditional TVs (21.2 million) in Italian households. Additionally, Italy has 48.9 million smartphones, 19.7 million desktop and laptop computers, and 7.1 million tablets.
The total number of connected screens is therefore 98.1 million, and another 21.2 million connectable with external devices, for a total of 119.3 million, averaging five screens per family.
Sassoli de Bianchi said that this digital evolution will revolutionise TV advertising, transforming it into a more targeted and effective marketing tool.
Sassoli de Bianchi highlighted the increasing convergence between linear TV and online video, which is driving growth in video advertising spending in Italy, a market worth around €6 billion, representing 54 per cent of total investments. He noted a 1.4 per cent increase in total audience and a 6 per cent rise in advertising investments in the first nine months of the year.
He also announced Auditel’s plans to provide more accurate and reliable data to advertisers, as part of a broader effort to create a unified measurement system for advertising campaigns across various platforms. The upcoming ‘Total Audience’ system, scheduled to launch on December 29th, will offer a comprehensive view of TV and digital audiences in Italy.
Sassoli de Bianchi also acknowledged the importance of convincing OTT platforms like Google and Meta to participate in measurement surveys.