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Danes spend almost one third of the day consuming media: report

The average amount of time spent consuming media including television, radio, streaming and social media in Denmark is 7 hours and 16 minutes, an analysis has found.

Danes spend almost one third of the day consuming media: report
File photo: Åserud, Lise/Ritzau Scanpix

Although the total sounds just as likely to be the amount of sleep needed by the average person, it does in fact correspond to daily media consumption in Denmark, according to a report by national broadcaster DR’s media research department.

The broadcaster issues a report annually on media habits amongst consumers in Denmark.

Although the last year has not seen a significant change in the types of media people in Denmark tend to spend their time on, a number of interesting trends can be seen in the new report, according to Dennis Christensen, who heads the DR Medieforskning research unit.

“One of the largest trends we are seeing is that Facebook is going through a decline in usage, particularly amongst young Danes,” Christensen said.

“That is the first time ever that we’ve seen a decrease in the use of Facebook,” he added.

Although most people in the country still have a profile on the social media site – which has seen several controversies of misuse of data within the last year, including in Denmark – daily usage has dropped significantly during the last year.

In 2017, 81 percent of 12-24-year-olds logged on to Facebook daily. That figure decreased to 73 percent last year.

Meanwhile, the study also found that digital media are becoming an increasingly large part of everyday life.

“What we can see is that Danes are becoming more digital. That means they are spending more and more time on streaming services like Netflix and Spotify, and less on conventional television,” Christensen said.

“But it is very clear that most Danes spend time on both types of media,” he added.

Streaming of television series and films saw a slight increase in 2018, with 48 percent using such services at least once a week compared to 46 percent in 2017.

An average of 142 minutes daily is spent watching television, a drop of 8 minutes against the previous year.

“The trend we have seen for the last few years will continue.

“What will be interesting will be to see whether the pace of change will continue as it has in the last couple of years. Or whether 2019 will be the year in which change will really begin to gain pace,” Christensen said.

READ ALSO: For internationals, 'reliance on social media is sometimes greater because we are more disconnected'

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Denmark proposes new law to make Facebook pay for news and music

The government is to forward a bill on Friday proposing tech giants such as Facebook and Google pay Danish media for using content on their platforms.

Denmark proposes new law to make Facebook pay for news and music
File photo: Regis Duvignau/Reuters/Ritzau Scanpix

The proposal will also mean platforms used to share media, such as YouTube, will be required to make agreements with rights holders in order to display videos or music, the Ministry of Culture said in a statement.

A comparable law recently took effect in Australia, resulting in all news pages being temporarily blocked for Facebook users in the southern hemisphere country.

READ ALSO: Could Denmark force Facebook to pay for news content?

“The media plays a central role in our democracy and ensures that public debate takes place on an infrormed basis,”culture minister Joy Mogensen said in the statement.

“If the media are to be able to continue making journalism, they should of course be paid for its use,” she added.

The proposal will provide for rights holders such as musicians or media outlets to be given a new publishing right which will enable them to decide who can use their content.

As such, companies like Facebook and Google will need permission to use the content online.

The Danish proposal builds on an EU directive which gives individual media outlets the right to agree deals with tech giants.

The bill put forward by Mogensen will allow Danish media to make a collective agreement with the tech companies providing for payment when their content is used.

An interest organisation for Danish media companies has backed the proposal.

“We have wanted to be able to enter collective agreements with tech giants because that would strengthen the media companies’ position,” Louise Brincker, CEO of Danske Medier, told newspaper Berlingske. Brincker noted she had not yet read the full proposal.

Media will not be obliged to make agreements with the tech companies, however. Complaints to the Danish copyright board, Ophavsretslicensnævnet, will be possible under the new law, should it be passed by parliament.

The bill will become law on June 7th should it receive the backing of a parliamentary majority.

Both Facebook and Google decline to comment to Berlingske on the matter, stating they had yet to see the bill in full.

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