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Television / Video

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In today's media landscape, most consumers don't differentiate between programming viewed on broadcast, cable, ADS-delivered, and online or mobile channels.  It's all considered "TV viewing" and the positives, opportunities and challenges apply to "video" across the board:

  • TV set penetration in U.S. households is high 
    • According to Nielsen, there are 123.8MM TV homes in the U.S. for the 2022-2023 TV season.

(Source: Nielsen, National Television Household Universe Estimates)

  • Adults 18+ spend 5 hours and 37 minutes watching TV (broadcast/cable).

(Source: Gfk TVB Media Comparisons Study 2024)

  • 60% of adults have gone on the internet to get more information on a product or service after seeing an ad on TV.

(Source: Gfk TVB Media Comparisons Study 2024)

  • Broadcast and cable TV reaches 81% of adults 18+.

(Source: Gfk TVB Media Comparisons Study 2024)

  • 41% of adults stream TV programs/movies without ads on TV screens/digital devices.

(Source: Gfk TVB Media Comparisons Study 2024)

  • 73% of adults agree that they trust the news they see/hear on local broadcast TV.

(Source: Gfk TVB Media Comparisons Study 2024)

  • 69% of U.S. TV viewers have used free streaming services at least monthly.

(Source: Horowitz Research’s State of Media, Entertainment & Tech: Subscriptions study, 2023 Edition)

  • 88% of adults have at least one streaming subscription.

(Source: Disqo Report, Ad-Supported Streaming TV, 2023)

  • 207 Million (72%) of People 12+ own a Smart TV.

(Source: The Infinite Dial 2024 - Edison Research/Audacy/Cumulus Media/SiriusXM Media)

  • 52% of content viewers now report subscribing to pay TV services.

(Source: Horowitz Research’s State of Media, Entertainment & Tech: Subscriptions study, 2023 Edition)

  • 32% of subscribers also said that they might consider going back to cable if the cost of their streaming services increases.

(Source: Horowitz Research’s State of Media, Entertainment & Tech: Subscriptions study, 2023 Edition)

  • As of January 2023, 85% of households had at least one TV-connected device.

(Source: Nielsen National TV Panel, 2023)

  • As of January 2023, 36% of U.S. TV Households accessed their TV content solely through a broadband internet connection.

(Source: Nielsen National TV Panel via NPOWER, 2023)

  • 60% of adults prefer watching TV on either Cable TV or Satellite TV.

(Source: Epsilon, Data Trends Report, 2024)

  • 79% of adults watch TV shows, movies, sports, and news through their television screen.

(Source: Epsilon, Data Trends Report, 2024)

  • 39% of adults prefer watching TV on a streaming service.

(Source: Epsilon, Data Trends Report, 2024)

  • 34% of consumers have made a purchase based on a TV ad.

(Source: Valassis consumer survey conducted February 2021)

  • 67% of U.S. Adults ages 18-49 watch both linear TV and ad-supported streaming.

(Source: "Addressable Enters the mainstream" DirectTV Advertising via Advertiser Perceptions, January 2023)

  • 15% of U.S. Adults ages 18-49 watch ONLY ad-supported streaming.

(Source: "Addressable Enters the mainstream" DirectTV Advertising via Advertiser Perceptions, January 2023)

  • 90% of CTV buyers purchased linear TV in 2022.

(Source: "Addressable Enters the mainstream" DirectTV Advertising via Advertiser Perceptions, January 2023)

  • 36% of of CTV buyers say linear TV is more important than CTV.

(Source: "Addressable Enters the mainstream" DirectTV Advertising via Advertiser Perceptions, January 2023)

  • 94% of linear TV and OTT ads reached only half of U.S. households, up two percent from 2023

(Source: SambaTV 2024 State of Viewership)

  • 33% of U.S. streamers watch free ad-supported streaming television (FAST).

(Source: EMarketer Forecast, February 2024)

  • According to Pixalate, 98% of U.S. internet-connected households can be reached by CTV advertising.

(Source: Pixalate, CTV Ad Supply Trends Report - Q2 2024)

  • Time Shifted TV reaches 61% of persons ages 18-49 weekly in 2023.

(Source: Nielsen Total Audience Report, Q2 2018, Q2 2019, Q2 2020, Q2 2021, Q2 2022, Q2 2023)

  • 6.9% of daily audio time among those age 13+ in the U.S. is spent listening on an internet-connected TV or TV device.

(Source: Edison Research, "Share of Ear," 2016 - Q3 2023)

  • 74% of consumers said they plan to make no changes to their paid television habits.

(Source: Nielsen 2023 Consumer Survey Report)

  • 76% of consumers said they will not change their TV streaming services subscriptions in the next 6-12 months.

(Source: Nielsen 2023 Consumer Survey Report)

  • 56% of consumers say that they enjoy the content provided by paid television.

(Source: Nielsen 2023 Consumer Survey Report)

  • 57% of consumers say that they enjoy the content provided by television and live streaming services.

(Source: Nielsen 2023 Consumer Survey Report)

  • 20% of U.S. internet households own a television antenna.

(Source: ATSC 3.0: Impact and Opportunity for video services, Q4 2023)

  • 12% of U.S. internet households don't don't have an antenna but plan to purchase one in the next 6 months.

(Source: ATSC 3.0: Impact and Opportunity for video services, Q4 2023)

  • TV antenna owners report watching about 6.4 hours of over-the-air (OTA) programming per week, second only to subscription-based video-on-demand streaming (7.6 hours per week).

(Source: Parks Associate Research, December 2023)

  • Percentage of adults who say they have an antenna and use it often:
    • Ages 18-24 - 18%
    • Ages 25-44 - 18%
    • Ages 45-54 - 23%
    • Ages 55+ - 13%

(Source: CivicScience, 2024)

  • What Americans watch when they turn on the TV in 2023:
    • 46% watch LiveTV
    • 40% watch online streaming TV

(Source: Hub Entertainment Research, 2023)

  • 60% of Gen Zers believe that CTV has better quality ads than cable/satellite.
    • 56% of Millennials believe the same

(Source: Magna Media Trials and Samsung Ads, Capturing the Attention of our Youngest Generations, The Digital Advertisers’ Guide to Reaching Gen Z + Millennials on Connected TV, 2023)

  • 61% of Gen Zers believe that CTV has ads that are more relevant to them than cable/satellite.
    • 67% of Millennials believe the same.

(Source: Magna Media Trials and Samsung Ads, Capturing the Attention of our Youngest Generations, The Digital Advertisers’ Guide to Reaching Gen Z + Millennials on Connected TV, 2023)

  • U.S. TV and Connected TV (CTV) ad spending in 2023 (Billions):
    • U.S. TV - $61.31B
    • CTV - $25.03B

(Source: eMarketer, April 2023)

  • U.S. Digital Video Viewers by platform, in 2024 (in Millions):
    • OTT Video Service - 254.2M
    • YouTube - 241.8M
    • Subscription OTT Video Service - 226.4M
    • Ad-supported Video-on demand - 180.2M
    • Free ad-suported streaming TV - 111.5M
    • Digital Pay TV - 46M

(Source: eMarketer, February 2024)

  • Distribution of total television and video usage in the U.S. in March 2024:
    • Streaming - 39%
    • Cable - 28%
    • Broadcast - 23%
    • Other - 11%

(Source: Nielsen, The Gauge, March 2024)

  • U.S. CTV Revenues by Company (Billions):
    • Hulu - $3.63B
    • YouTube - $2.89B
    • Roku - $2.19B
    • PlutoTV - $.95B
    • Peacock - $.81B
    • Tubi - $.77B
    • Disney+ - $.75B
    • Netflix - $.62B
    • Paramount - $.28B

(Source: Insider Inteligence, April 2023, eMarketer, Guggenheim Securities)

  • Top 5 most used paid video streaming services:
    • Netflix
    • Amazon Prime Video
    • HBO Max
    • Hulu
    • YouTube TV

(Source: Forbes Home Survey, March 2023)

U.S. adults are spending a lot of time consuming video in some form or fashion.

  • In Q4 2022 A18+ weekly hours spent with media:
    • AM/FM Radio: 11.5 Hours
    • App/Web on Smartphone: 1 Hours
    • Live + Time-shifted TV: 28.4 Hours
    • App/Web on Tablet: 8.7 Hours
    • TV-Connected Devices: 15.5 Hours
    • Internet on a PC: 7.4 Hours

(Source: The Nielsen Audience Insights Q4 2022, among users P18+)

  • Daily time spent on TV amongst U.S. adults 18+ in Q4 2022:
    • TV-Connected devices - 106 minutes
    • Cable - 104 minutes
    • Broadcast - 84 minutes

(Source: Nielsen National TV Panel, 2023)

  • Where Asian American audiences spend most of their TV time:
    • Streaming - 43%
    • Cable - 23%
    • Broadcast - 19%
    • Other - 16%

(Source: Analysis of January 2023 Nielsen National TV Panel Data augmented by Streaming Platform ratings)

  • Asian American audiences watch 27% more streaming content than the general opoulation.

(Source: Analysis of January 2023 Nielsen National TV Panel Data augmented by Streaming Platform ratings)

  • Percentage (%) of time spent with live and time-shifted TV 2022-2023 (Hispanics):
    • P18-34 - 28.1%
    • P35-49 - 43.2%
    • P50-64 - 64.1%

    (Source: Nielsen National TV Panel, Q1 2023)

  • Percentage (%) of time spent with connected TV (Hispanics):
    • P18-34 - 71.7%
    • P35-49 - 56.8%
    • P50-64 - 35.9%

    (Source: Nielsen National TV Panel, Q1 2023)

    • 74% of Hispanics say they use one or more streaming services in a day in a typical week.

    (Source: Nielsen Attitudes on Representation Supplemental Study, 2022)

    • Where Hispanic audiences spend most of their TV time:
      • Streaming - 50.7%
      • Broadcast - 18.8%
      • Cable - 16.2%
      • Other - 14.3%

    (Source: Nielsen National TV Panel and Streaming Platform ratings, July 2023)

    • How Hispanics find representative programming that they enjoy watching:
      • Recommendations from friends/family - 67%
      • Recommendations from the platform - 48%
      • Trailers/Promotional videos - 45%
      • Entertainment news/reviews - 36%
      • Buzz on social media - 28%
      • Collections for themed programming - 28%
      • Marketing from the platform - 25%

    (Source: Nielsen Attitudes on Representation in Media Supplemental Study, 2022)

    • Genres that Hispanics find the most representative:
      • Drama - 53%
      • Feature Films - 49%
      • Comedy - 45%
      • Documentaries - 39%
      • Animation - 33%
      • Information or news - 25%
      • Romance - 20%
      • Variety Programs - 19%
      • Sports - 18%

    (Source: Nielsen Attitudes on Representation in Media Supplemental Study, 2022)

    • Hispanics who believe that their values are largely shared and reflected in popular TV shows and movies (by generation):
      • Gen Z (age 18-36) - 56%
      • Millennials (age 27-42) - 63%
      • Gen Xers (age 43-58) - 42%
      • Boomers (age 59-77) - 29%
      • Matures (age 78+) - 23%

    (Source: 2023 Hispanic Sentiment Study by We Are All Human and Nielsen, Powered by Toluna)

    • Importance of watching TV in their native language:
      • 78.8% of Korean respondents say that it is very important/important.
      • 70.8% of Chinese respondents say that it is very important/important
      • 80.6% of Vietnamese respondents say that it is very important/important.
      • 90% of English respondents say that it is very important/important.

    (Source: Nielsen, Custom Asian Media Consumption Study, Fall 2022)

    • 27% of AANHPI audiences agree that representative content is more engaging when it features a geographic location associated with their identity group(s).

    (Source: Nielsen Attitudes on Representation Supplemental Study, 2022)

    • 30% of AANHPI audiences agree that representative content is more engaging when it features a cast member that is closely associated with their identity group(s).

    (Source: Nielsen Attitudes on Representation Supplemental Study, 2022)

    • 56% of Hispanics say they are more likely to continue watching content when it features someone from their identity group.

    (Source: Nielsen Attitudes on Representation TV Study, April 2022)

    • In 2022, CTV generated 50% of engagement and video impressions.

    (Source: Innovid Retail (Ad) Therapy Report)

    • According to a survey, the average TV consumer uses 7.4 TV sources in their home.
      • TV sources range from traditional pay-TV, SVOD's, antenna TV's etc. 

    (Source: Hub Entertainment, May 2022)

    Time spent watching connected TV, by generation:

    • Generation Z – 3 hours & 45 minutes
    • Millennials – 3 hours and 59 minutes
    • Generation X – 4 hours and 3 minutes
    • Boomers - 3 hours and 58 minutes

    (Source: Reviews.org, July 2024)

    Percentage (%) of consumers, by generation, who would agree to a year-long subscription contract to an SVOD service if it offered a discount:

    • Gen Z – 57%
    • Millennials – 61%
    • Gen X – 58%
    • Boomers & Matures - 48%

    (Source: Deloitte, Digital media trends, 18th edition, March 2024)

    Percentage (%) of consumers, by generation, who would cancel their favorite SVOD service if the subscription coast increased by U.S. $5 per month:

    • Gen Z – 55%
    • Millennials – 45%
    • Gen X – 46%
    • Boomers & Matures - 48%

    (Source: Deloitte, Digital media trends, 18th edition, March 2024)

    Percentage (%) of consumers, by generation, who often watch TV shows or movies on streaming video services after hearing about them from creators:

    • Gen Z – 59%
    • Millennials – 49%
    • Gen X – 30%
    • Boomers & Matures - 18%

    (Source: Deloitte, Digital media trends, 18th edition, March 2024)

    Video completion rate by video format:

    • Interactive video (CTV) – 92.7%
    • Standard Video – 86.2%
    • Interactive video (Mobile/Desktop) – 82%
    • Dynamic Video - 74.3%

    (Source: Innovid Retail (Ad) Therapy Report)

    • Households without cable who primarily use broadband connections to stream will rise from 23.3 million is 2018 to 40.8 million in 2022.
      • By 2023, broadband is expected to be in 75% of U.S. households.

    (Source: S&P Global Market Intelligence - Kagan media research unit)

    Percentage on different generations consuming news on Network/Cable TV news:

    • Generation Z – 12%
    • Millennials – 16%
    • Generation X – 34%
    • Boomers - 58%

    (Source: Deloitte, Digital media trends, 15th edition, 2021)

    How people prefer to receive their channels:

    • Small bundle (like ESPN+, Disney+, Hulu, etc.) – 48%
    • Packages (Through providers like Comcast, Verizon, etc.) – 26%
    • Individual – 26%

    (Source: Disqo Report, Ad-Supported Streaming TV, 2023)

    Ideal discount for an ad-supported streaming service:

    • 51-99% less – 23%
    • 26-50% less – 34%
    • 11-25% less – 14%
    • 0-10% less – 6%
    • Free – 14%

    (Source: Disqo Report, Ad-Supported Streaming TV, 2023)

    How people feel about brands that advertise on streaming platforms:

    • Neutral – 41%
    • Annoyed – 28%
    • Worried – 17%
    • Grateful – 13%
    • Curious – 9%
    • Hopeful – 7%
    • Excited – 5%

    (Source: Disqo Report, Ad-Supported Streaming TV, 2023)

    Multichannel TV subscriptions by Demographic:

    • Generation:
      • Gen Z - 35%
      • Millennial - 39%
      • Gen X - 43%
      • Boomer - 47%
      • Silent - 53%
    • Gender:
      • Female - 37%
      • Male - 46%
    • Income:
      • Less than 75K - 41%
      • 75K - 125K - 47%
      • 125K+ - 53%
    • Parental Status:
      • No children - 39%
      • Children - 45%

    (Source: Disqo Report, Ad-Supported Streaming TV, 2023)

    • % of Population weekly reach (Live + Time Shifted TV):
      • A18+: 76%
      • Blacks 18+: 79%
      • Hispanics 18+: 70%

    (Source: Nielsen Audience Insights Q4 2022 (users among population) Hispanics 18+)

    • Digital video usage by device in 2022:
      • Smartphone - 66%
      • Smart TV - 58%
      • Laptop - 41%
      • Tablet - 35%
      • Streaming Device - 33%
      • Gaming Console - 24%
      • Desktop/PC - 23%
      • Don't Know - 1%

    (Source: Statista Global Consumer Survey, 2022) 

    • Share of households subscribing to selected video streaming platforms in the U.S.:
      • Netflix - 66%
      • Amazon Prime Video - 56%
      • Hulu - 42%
      • Disney+ - 41%
      • HBO Max - 29%
      • Paramount+ - 17%

    (Source: Research Initiatives, Fall 2022)

    • Video streaming distribution by brand:
      • Netflix: 22%
      • YouTube: 20%
      • Hulu: 11%
      • Amazon: 8%
      • Disney+: 6%
      • Other: 33% 
    • Streaming video share of time spent by age:
      • P2-11: 13%
      • P12-17: 5%
      • P18-24 6%
      • P25-34: 15%
      • P35-54: 31%
      • P55+: 31%

    (Source: The Nielsen Audience Insights April 2022)

    • People who cancel then renew their paid streaming video services, by generation (%):
      • Generation Z – 35%
      • Millennials – 38%
      • Generation X – 28%
      • Boomers – 7%

    (Source: Deloitte, Digital media trends, 16th edition, March 2022)

    • CTV Challenges per advertiser:
      • Difficulty managing ad frequency across publishers platforms – 41%
      • Reach and scale to target effectively – 37%
      • Fragmentation/too many providers – 37%
      • Transparency on where your ads are running – 36%
      • Disparate reporting across multiple buys – 34%
      • Cost – 33%
      • Inconsistent measurement standards – 30%
      • Ad fraud – 29%
      • Brand safety concerns – 24%
      • Multiple ad buys to attain reach and frequency – 21%

    (Source: Advertiser Perceptions survey for Premion, March 2023)

    • Reasons for advertisers increasing CTV budget 2023 (audience/targeting related):
      • Captures declining TV audiences – 46%
      • Provides the benefits of TV with digital capabilities – 44%
      • Extended reach for Linear TV budgets – 37%
      • Precision audience targeting – 35%
      • Reaches a highly engaged opt-in audience – 30%
      • Solution to mobile/desktop privacy changes – 22%

    (Source: Advertiser Perceptions survey for Premion, March 2023)

    • Reasons for advertisers increasing CTV budget 2023 (Performance/pricing related):
      • Archives brand awareness & performance marketing goals – 39%
      • Affordable TV options for performance driven digital marketers – 36%
      • CTV tends to outperform Linear TV – 33%
      • Detailed reporting, measuring, and insights – 23%
      • Improved and relevance – 23%
      • Attribution capabilities – 21%
      • Shorter ad pods provide better exposure for my brand(s) – 16%

    (Source: Advertiser Perceptions survey for Premion, March 2023)

    • Top reasons why consumers canceled a streaming video service:
      • I wasn't spending enough time with the service to justify the cost – 35%
      • I need to cut back on my cost of entertainment – 30%
      • The streaming service raised its price – 25%
      • There is not enough new content on the service – 24%
      • I finished watching a show/movie that I signed up to watch – 22%
      • There's another service I wanted to sign up for instead – 21%
      • I didn't enjoy the content on the service – 20%

    (Source: DIRECTV Advertising via Suzy, Online survey of nationally representative sample of 1k U.S. Adults (18-65), June 23, 2023)

    • Top three reasons why consumers would consider resubscribing to streaming video services:
      • The service decreased their price or offered a promotion – 50%
      • The service adds more new programming that I want to watch – 35%
      • The service puts out a new season of the show/sequel to a movie I initially signed up to watch – 26%

    (Source: DIRECTV Advertising via Suzy, Online survey of nationally representative sample of 1k U.S. Adults (18-65), June 23, 2023)

    • Only 25% of U.S. consumers think they’ll have a cable subscription within a few years:
      • 41% are not subscribed or have already cut cable
      • 12.5% will cut cable within the next few years
      • 11.2% will cut cable within the next 3 months
      • 9.9% will cut cable within this year
    • Within the year, these specific age groups will plan on unsubscribing to cable:
      • 18-34 – 25.9%
      • 25-34 – 17.8%
      • 35-44 – 18.2%
      • 45-54 – 14%
      • 55-64 – 18.6%
      • 65+ - 9.9%

    (Source: Pixability; U.S. Consumer Streaming Habits on YouTube & CTV, 2022)

    • 87% percent of households have at least one internet-connected TV device - up from 24% in 2010.
    • 66% of all TV households have multiple types of connected TV devices.
    • Devices adults use to watch videos:
      • 28% of adults watch video on a TV via a stand-alone device.
      • 27% via an Internet-enabled Smart TV app.
      • 12% via a connected game system.
      • 3% via a connected Blu-ray player.

    (Source: Leichtman Research Group, Q2 2022 report)

    Adults are cutting the cords for cable as streaming services are becoming increasingly popular.

    • Reasons for not subscribing to cable or satellite TV:
      • 71% of adults said they can access the content they want to watch online
      • 69% of adults said the cost of cable/satellite services is too expensive
      • 45% said they do not watch TV often

    (Source: Pew Research Center, 2021)

    • 82% of consumers subscribe to a paid streaming service

    (Source: Deloitte, Digital media trends, 15th edition, 2021)

    As of February 2022, there were 817K unique program titles across linear TV and streaming video services.

    • 169.4B minutes were spent on streaming.
    • Video streaming distribution percent by brand: 22% Netflix, 20% YouTube, 11% Hulu, 8% Amazon, 6% Disney+, and 33% Other.

    Top 5 attributes of video streaming sources (ranked by importance):

    • Cost – 81%
    • Variety/availability of content – 79%
    • Ease of use – 79%
    • Streaming/playback quality – 76%
    • Accessibility/search of desired content – 72%

    (Source: Nielsen Audience Insights, April 2022)

    Percentage of adults who consider television to be very trustworthy/trustworthy:

    • Adults 18-34 – 65%
    • Adults 35-54 – 70%
    • Adults 55+ – 68%

    (Source: Katz Radio Group, Media Trust Study, June 2024)

    Ads on streaming video services, based off on engagement:

    • Generation Z – 18%
    • Millennials – 18%
    • Boomers – 14%
    • Generation X – 13%

    (Source: Deloitte, Digital media trends, 15th edition, 2021)

    Ads-supported plan share of new sign-ups for major SVODs, YTD through May 2023:

    • Peacock – 69%
    • Hulu – 58%
    • Discovery+ – 43%
    • Disney+ – 36%
    • Paramount+ – 31%
    • Max – 21%
    • Netflix – 18%

    (Source: Antenna, June 2023)

    Percentage of monthly spending on subscription by age:

    • Ages 18-34 – 20%
    • Ages 35-54 – 19%
    • Ages 55-64 – 11%

    (Source: National Research Group, October 2022)

    Percentage of U.S. households that do not have a television set by age:

    • Ages 18-34 – 14%
    • Ages 35-54 – 5%
    • Ages 55+ – 3%

    (Source: Research Initiatives, Fall 2022)

    Top-grossing CTV apps in Q1 2023 (in order):

    • On Roku:
      • Hulu
      • Philo
      • Tubi
      • Pluto TV
      • Sling
    • On Amazon Fire TV:
      • Philo
      • Tubi
      • Pluto TV
      • Hulu
      • Sling

    (Source: Pixalate, CTV Ad Supply Trends Report - Q1 2023)

  • About 37 million U.S. internet households use at least one ad-supported streaming service now.
  • (Source: Parks Associates, Q1 2022)

  • 23% of U.S. users of ad-supported over-the-top streaming services report that they “often” click on ads.
    • The same percentage report that they often buy products or services they see advertised.

    (Source: Parks Associates, Q1 2022)

    • Among consumers with at least one subscription, 57% have taken advantage of a bundle deal (with Disney+, Hulu & ESPN, T-Mobile & Netflix, and Hulu & HBO Max proving the most popular packages).

    (Source: National Research Group, October 2022)

    • The U.S. currently accounts for nearly 90% of global FAST (Free ad-supported Streaming TV) market Value.

    (Source: Omdia Advertising Intelligence Service, 2023)

    • Internet and mobile platforms allow for TV everywhere, but adaption percentages are still low
    • Expanded digital viewing will be advantageous to advertisers, allowing exposure closer to point of purchase
    • The mass reach once afforded by advertising on broadcast TV networks has declined due to:
      • Access to multiple TV sets/screens within homes
        • TV used to be a group activity with everyone in the household gathered in front of the TV
        • Multiple sets/multiple screen options have transformed viewing into a more solitary, singular activity