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 125MM TV homes in the U.S. for the 2023-2024 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)

• 56 Millions (46%) of U.S. internet households are "cord cutters", while 12% are "cord nevers", who have never subscribed to any sort of traditional pay TV.
  

(Source: TVTech, Video Services Consumer Insight Dashboard, 2025)

• As of Q3 2024, 59% of subscriptions across the eight leading SVOD services are basic tier with ad subscriptions.
  

(Source: TVTech, Video Services Consumer Insight Dashboard, 2025)

• 71% of Black adults 18+ consider television to be very trustworthy/trustworthy.
  

(Source: Katz Media Group 2024 Media Trust Study)

• 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 - Q3 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)

• TV time spent amongst new moms:
  
  • Streaming - 65%
  • Cable - 13%
  • Broadcast - 8%
  • Other - 14%

(Source: Nielsen National TV Ratings plus Streaming Platform Ratings, Q1 2024)

• TV viewership by genre amongst adults 18+:
  
  • Feature film - 15%
  • General drama - 24%
  • Child multi-weekly - 3%
  • Situation comedy - 8%
  • Sports events - 7%
  • General documentary - 8%
  • Evening animation - 2%
  • Instruction, advice - 3%
  • News - 13%

(Source: Nielsen National TV Ratings plus Streaming Content Ratings, Q1 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 2024 (Billions):
  
  • U.S. TV - $61.74B
  • CTV - $28.75B

(Source: eMarketer, July 2024)

• 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)

• P18-34 - 28.1%
• P35-49 - 43.2%
• P50-64 - 64.1%

(Source: Nielsen National TV Panel, Q1 2023)

• 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 2024, CTV generated 56% of engagement and video impressions.

(Source: Innovid Retail (Ad) Therapy Report, 2024)

• 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 CTV – 91%
• DCO Video – 89%
• Standard Video – 87%
• Interactive Video - 74%

(Source: Innovid Retail (Ad) Therapy Report, 2024)

• 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.

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 - 64%
  • YouTube - 57%
  • Hulu - 41%
  • Prime Video - 34%
  • Max - 29%
  • OEM FAST Apps - 24%
  • Peacock - 23%
  • Disney+ - 22%
  • Paramount+ - 21%
  • Tubi - 18%

• 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%

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

• CTV Challenges per advertiser:
  • Transparency on where your ads are running – 39%
  • Fragmentation/too many providers – 39%
  • Difficulty managing ad frequency across publishers/platforms – 37%
  • Inconsistent measurement standards – 33%
  • Multiple ad buys to attain reach and frequency – 29%
  • Reach and scale to target effectively – 29%
  • Cost – 28%
  • Brand safety concerns – 21%
  • Ad frauds – 19%

• Reasons for advertisers increasing CTV budget 2024 (audience/targeting related):
  • Reaches a highly engaged opt-in audience – 40%
  • Precision audience targeting – 38%
  • Extended reach for Linear TV campaigns – 36%
  • Captures declining TV audiences – 35%
  • Provides the benefits of TV with digital capabilities – 35%
  • Solution to mobile/desktop privacy changes – 20%

• Reasons for advertisers increasing CTV budget 2024 (Performance/pricing related):
  • Archives brand awareness & performance marketing goals – 41%
  • Affordable TV options for performance driven digital marketers – 33%
  • CTV tends to outperform Linear TV – 32%
  • Detailed reporting, measuring, and insights – 25%
  • Improved and relevance – 25%
  • Attribution capabilities – 20%

• 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%

• 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%

• 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%

• 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.

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

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)

Share of total TV time:

• Black audience:
• Broadcast - 22%
• Cable - 22%
• Streaming - 46%
• Other viewing - 10%
• Total:
• Broadcast - 20%
• Cable - 27%
• Streaming - 41%
• Other viewing - 12%

(Source: Nielsen Audience Measurement, July 2024)

(Source: Parks Associates, Q1 2022)

• The same percentage report that they often buy products or services they see advertised.

• 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).

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

• 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

• Digital-only platforms such as Hulu, Netflix, etc. have drawn viewers from broadcast, cable, ADS
• Video on Demand (VOD) options growing, gaining awareness among consumers

• Consumers no longer need to make an "appointment" to watch their favorite shows
  • Prime-time programs recorded for later viewing, binge-viewing
  • Time-shifting of programs challenges advertisers placing time-sensitive commercials
  • Consumers may delete or skip over commercials in recorded programming

Key Links to additional information on Television:

http://www.tvb.org/

http://www.iab.net/

http://www.nielsen.com/content/corporate/us/en/solutions/measurement/television.html

For data on cable penetration, ADS for specific DMAs:

https://www.tvb.org/research-measurement-analytics/measurement/competitive-media-2/

For data on specific cable carriers within major markets:

http://www.thevab.com/local/