Content is king

Whether it’s streamed, downloaded, native or web-based, we’re all constantly watching, reading, listening to or playing content on our phones – and our consumption continues to rise.

More than one third of Belgians read the news every day, and more than one fifth watch short videos or live posts, making these the two most popular media-related activities that people do on a smartphone, closely followed by watching videos on instant messaging networks. Compared to last year, watching short videos on a daily basis has increased by five percentage points.

The phone is consolidating its position as the favoured device for a wide range of applications. Compared to last year, the phone has been the favourite device for even more people in the 45-54 and 55-64 age categories. Online search and video calls make the largest progress.

What is your preferred device for different activities?

Facebook remains the most popular communications platform across all age groups at 64 percent daily usage, followed by Instagram and Snapchat. To allow for this increased media consumption, telcos are launching unlimited mobile data bundles.

In 2019, 63 percent of smartphone users purchased some kind of product or service using their smartphone. 45 percent of respondents bought clothing, footwear and accessories, followed closely by events at 44 percent. Smartphone accessories and holidays & travel close the top 3 with 43 percent purchasing it.