1 of every 3 minutes of “television” viewing is now streaming or online video

Talk about a media revolution. Nielsen reports that TV viewers are continuing to ditch their old broadcast and cable habits, replacing them with connected TV and OLV options. Streaming and online video now make up more than 1 in 3 minutes of “television” viewing behavior in the United States.

In October, broadcast viewing plummeted 8.5% from a year earlier in terms of total share of video viewing (form 28.4% share to 26%), and cable viewing fell even more by 11% year over year (from 36.9% to 32.9%). Streaming services emerged as the big winner—rising 21% in terms of daily video share (from 29% to 37.3%). YouTube, Netflix and Hulu accounted for more than half of all streaming views.

This is mixed news for marketers seeking to improve advertising performance. On the plus side, many online, OTT and CTV platforms provide enhanced capabilities to connect data on consumer interests to video ads—for instance, YouTube video advertising can be linked to prior Google searches by consumers, putting your ad for an ABC Widget in front of someone who really wants to buy one. But the downside, of course, is many streaming services such as Netflix help consumers avoid advertising altogether. The solution is ongoing testing of new streaming ad formats … with robust data-targeting tests to see how you can align what you sell with the consumers most likely in market.

To read the full Nielsen article, visit https://www.nielsen.com/insights/2022/broadcast-dramas-drive-october-viewing-bump-while-streaming-and-sports-stay-strong/