The Media Technology Monitor is an annual telephone survey and research product designed to monitor Canadians' use and adoption of new and existing technologies. The first MTM questionnaire was distributed in 2005 and now consists of two annual surveys conducted in the spring and fall of each year. The survey features questions that focus on current and emerging media activities and technologies such as, television across multiple platforms, radio use social media, and online audio. The results of the Media Technology Monitor are published through a series of syndicated reports and multiple short, targeted theme reports. The Media Technology Monitor reports are distributed to government agencies, broadcasters, and other media stakeholders across Canada who subscribe to the service. In particular, it aims to examine the following:
What devices/services Canadians use for their media consumption?
How do Canadians use these devices?
The MTM is designed, implemented and analyzed by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. In 2011, the MTM coordinated with Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario to provide learning materials to the Communications Department. In 2019, the MTM started an annual survey on Canadians aged 2 to 17. The MTM JR focuses on how young Canadians consume and use media.
History
The Media Technology Monitor has evolved from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's Quality Ratings Survey that began in 1997 to measure Canadians' use and perception of Canada's conventional and specialty television channels as well as some media technology behaviours. In 2005, the MTM was launched with a specific focus on media technology adoption and use among Canadians. In 2010, an online MTM portal was created to provide a more interactive experience for users. The portal allows users a quick and easy way to download MTM reports and trending data, as well as conduct custom analysis of the data with a proprietary Data Analysis Tool. In 2012, the MTM integrated Cell Phone only homes in its sample. In 2015, the MTM celebrated its 10th anniversary. The portal was updated adding an Interactive Trending Tool and a Forecasting Tool. A follow-up online survey was also added, providing over 1,500 data points to users.
Methodology and tools
Survey design and sampling
The Media Technology Monitor is released in the fall and spring of each year and collects a total of 12,000 responses through telephone interviews with 6,000 Anglophones and 6,000 Francophones aged 18+. The response rate for both surveys is 30%.
Fall Survey - 8,000 Respondents
Spring Survey - 4,000 Respondents
MTM survey households are selected by Random Digit Dialing and the respondent within each household is randomly selected based on the most recent birthday method. The MTM uses telephone surveys to ensure that the respondents are representative of all Canadians by eliminating bias due to geographic location and connection to the Internet. The mixed-methods approach includes landline and cell phone only households, as well as an online survey component. The telephone survey sample is weighted according to gender, age, region, and language. Questions in the online survey are given an additional weight to reflect the Canadian online population according to its light, medium and heavy Internet usage. Ad Hoc Research conducts both the English and French language interviews and is also responsible for recruiting both the English and French cell phone only sample.
MTM tools
The MTM provides four tools to access data: reports, the data analysis tool, the trending tool, and the forecasting tool.
Reports: that are bi-annual. The MTM also provides reports targeting information on different technologies, trends, activities and demographic groups.
The data analysis tool : provides access to the national, Anglophone and French datasets.
The trending tool: enables to see data based on language market and demographic variables.
The forecasting tool: provides a source of technology projection.
Current topics
The Media Technology Monitor is revised every year to include emerging media trends and technologies. Recent MTM surveys have asked respondents about their behaviour and consumption of:
