No single media channel is able to reach more than 90% of adults every week, other than out-of-home advertising, according to the IPA’s new TouchPoints report.

The study also reveals that adult media consumption has returned to pre-pandemic levels.

An increasing fragmentation of the media landscape poses myriad issues for brands and agencies, but is apparently here to stay as – for the sixth year running – no single media channel is able to truly dominate.

According to the IPA, subscription streaming services now have a larger weekly reach than cinema, with 50% of all adults using online video services each week.

In terms of individual media owners, the landscape is led by ITV/STV, which has 51% weekly reach, followed by Facebook (48%); YouTube (45%); Channel 4 (44%) and Instagram (34%).

The report also reveals that patterns of consumption have now largely returned to pre-pandemic routines, with video peaking in the evening, audio in the morning and out-of-home building as the day progresses.

Despite a small reduction, two-thirds (64%) of adult media time is still spent on curated commercial channels. This figure is marginally higher than during the pandemic, indicating a less dramatic switch to subscription models than expected.

“We are seeing that overall patterns of commercial media consumption have reverted to pre-pandemic, established patterns,” said IPA head of TouchPoints marketing and data innovation, Simon Frazier.

“However, the methods of delivering commercial media are clearly evolving in line with technological advancements and are therefore changing the landscape for planners considerably.”

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He continued: “While there is a decrease in both share of time and time spent with curated commercial media – I suspect mainly down to the decrease in linear broadcast TV viewing – it is perhaps surprising this isn’t greater, given the perceived disruptive growth of subscription-based services which were formerly seen as taking commercial share.”

Frazier also said the decrease points to the impact of key SVoD offerings incorporating advertising into their subscription models.

The overall time spent each day on curated commercial channels has dropped marginally (by 17 minutes), with the bulk of this time being lost to streaming services for the 16-34 audience and to BBC TV and radio for older audiences.

Unsurprisingly, time spent by adults on smartphones has continued to increase across the board, with share of curated commercial programming being watched on mobile devices rising from 20% to 32% between 2015 and 2024 – up from 30% in lockdown.

Frazier said the slight decrease means that investment will “have to work harder to cut through”.

“More media is being used concurrently rather than in isolation and attention is becoming more stretched as a commodity – fuelled by the ever-increasing smartphone take-up,” he explained.

“More than ever, a greater focus is needed on diverse media plans to maximize overall campaign performance as media opportunities shift.”