Digital media consumption, spending among Filipinos up in 2024
The Philippines has emerged as a mobile-first society, says study. INQUIRER.net stock images
MANILA, Philippines – Digital media consumption rose among Filipinos in the past year as avid gamers and watchers of TV series spent millions of dollars more to access online content, according to a study by media company We Are Social and consumer insights firm Meltwater.
In the “Philippines Digital 2025” report, it was noted that digital media purchases grew by nearly 10 percent or $240 million to $2.75 billion last year in the Philippines.
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This translated to average spending of $44.75 per shopper annually, showing 5.6-percent increase.
The bulk or $2.12 billion of the digital media spend was for video games. Among the popular games are Fortnite, Minecraft, Roblox and League of Legends wherein players can buy in-game items.
About $310 million was spent for on-demand video content last year.
Local series
Filipinos usually watch TV content streamed via the internet for 1 hour and 33 minutes every day. In total, they watch any kind of TV content for 3 hours and 8 minutes daily.
The study noted that Filipinos like consuming locally produced TV series and movies, as well as mainstream Hollywood films and popular Korean dramas.
They usually access online video platforms as well to watch music videos, comedic viral videos, how-to-do content, product review, livestream, sports commentary and influencer vlogs, among others.
Related to this, the study found that 29.4 percent of surveyed Filipinos use social media to follow influencers and celebrities.
Meanwhile, Filipinos paid $150 million in total last year to stream music online.
About 46 percent of the respondents listen to music via streaming services while some 13.6 percent tune in to online radio shows.
Some 20.1 percent subscribed to podcasts while 9.2 percent listened to audio books.
According to the study, 97.5 million Filipinos used the internet last year, up 0.8 percent from 2023. This represents 83.8 percent of the country’s total population.
About 4 million social media accounts were created last year, bringing to the total to 90.8 million.
The Philippines is a mobile-first country with almost everyone using a mobile device. The next popular devices are laptop or desktop, smart TV, tablet and smart watches.
In total, Filipinos spend about 8 hours and 52 minutes on the internet every day, usually connecting via their mobile devices.
Filipinos use the internet to stay in touch with friends and family, search information, watch videos, stay updated with current news and events and study-related purposes, among other-INQ
