Media in Chile - statistics & facts

A TV-oriented market

During a March 2020 survey, three out of ten consumers in Chile said they bought print daily newspapers. The share of respondents who spent money on print magazines stood below 20 percent. Less than one year later, El Mercurio remained as the only print daily newspaper distributed nationwide, illustrating the decline of print media in that South American country. Television, on the other hand, was on the rise. After decreasing for two consecutive years, the number of free-to-air TV viewers in Chile grew by 3.5 percent between 2019 and 2020. The number of pay TV subscriptions increased by 1.4 percent in the same period, thanks to the growth in the cable segment. The boost may be a seasonal side effect of the pandemic. Still, it comes to show that the main competitor of traditional television in multiple markets across the globe –video-on-demand (VOD)– has been struggling to conquer the Chilean viewership.

Streaming: A long way to go

Chile is by far the most connected country in Latin America. Over 82 percent of its inhabitants were online as of January 2021. Yet only four percent of Chileans subscribed to a VOD service in 2019, one of the lowest penetration rates amidst the largest countries in that region. The days of this apparent contradiction might be numbered, however. While social media remains an undisputable leader among the youth, video streaming ranks second by offering the type of content that seduces this age group. On average, a Chilean person aged between 18 and 29 years spent two hours and a half watching series or movies on the internet, according to a survey conducted at the end of 2020. Time will tell if their habit will spread and stay or continue to be an exception.

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