Among the key issues that pervaded the Advertising Research Foundation’s annual meeting, themed “The New Normal,” was the cross-platform entertainment consumer. A growing number of Americans are using devices other than TV to view video. They have little problem watching on their laptop, and even their mobile devices.
While two thirds of Americans are TV set-only video viewers, 29% watch video both online and on TV sets, and 6% watch only online, according to Tania Yuki of comScore. Who are these cross-platform viewers? They skew young, but not as young as one might think. The largest proportion (32%) are aged 35-49. That age group is particularly split in their viewing habits — they also account for the largest proportion of TV set-only viewers (35%).
Viewers prefer to watch certain genres on TV — sports (52%), news (42%), drama (49%), and comedy (44%) — and they do not care on which medium they watch lifestyle (49%), celebrity (50%), or reality programs (50%). Online is not the preferred medium for any genre of video.
They like to watch on TV because it provides better picture quality (75%), offers better sound (72%), allows them to watch shows as they are released (69%), and for the overall experience (68%). They like online video because they can watch it whenever they want (75%) and on their own schedule (74%), they can play and pause programs when they want (70%), shows have fewer commercials (67%), and for its overall convenience (61%).
The reasons cross-platform viewers choose to watch video online are:
• They missed an episode on TV (71%);
• It is convenient (57%);
• It has fewer ads (38%);
• They like to see past episodes (25%);
• They prefer the online experience (13%); and
• They do not subscribe to cable or do not have a TV (2%).
Watching online is a solution not only for those who have missed an episode of a show they follow, but it is also a resource for those who started watching a show in the middle of a season and want to go back to catch episodes they missed.
Of those who watch online, online only viewers are more likely than cross-platform viewers to watch the most recent episode (35% vs. 25%) and to save up episodes to watch several in succession (37% vs. 34%), whereas cross-platform viewers are more likely than online-only viewers to watch single episodes to catch up with a show (41% vs. 28%).
Cross-platform viewers watch more video than average viewers — 80% watch one additional episode per week than other viewers, and 20% watch six or more additional episodes. Some 28% of cross-platform viewers discover shows from an online video site, such as Hulu or TV.com. Two in 10 (20%) think that if they had not heard of the show in that way, they never would have discovered it. Of those who learned about shows online, 22% continue to watch the show online, 21% switch to watching on TV, and 57% use a mixture of both media.
It is a myth that those who view online do so specifically to skip commercials. While some online video viewers do skip commercials, more than 30% of those who watch online and never watch commercials have stopped a program they were watching to visit an advertiser’s website.
NBC’s Billion Dollar Lab found that the more screens the consumer has to watch video, the greater their viewership and engagement, Alan Wurtzel said at the ARF meeting. The lab conducted an in-depth study of TV, online, and mobile media during the Olympics. Americans went out of their way to follow the games, with 46% changing their daily routines, including 63% who stayed up later to watch.
Americans not only used multiple media sources to follow the games, they used them simultaneously. A third (32%) used TV and Internet at the same time — both media tuned to Olympic coverage. That included 36% of 18-34 year olds, 30% of 35-49 year olds, and 34% of those aged 50 and up. There was also little difference by gender (52% were men, and 48% were women).
While they were watching TV, they went online to check the medal count (49%), check scores (49%), view video highlights or clips (29%), and stream live events (16%).
Those who used both TV and Internet consumed 91% more Olympic coverage than those who followed on TV alone. Engagement was also up, with 92% of TV and Internet users saying they were more into the games than in the past, compared to 65% of TV-only users.
Nearly half of those who followed the games (49%) used TV and mobile media at the same time. Mobile users accounted for 2 million video streams, up 564% over the Beijing games 18 months earlier. The platform was also relatively age-agnostic, with those aged 50 and older accounting for 27% of mobile users.
NBC offered both a smartphone app and a WAP (mobile-formatted web page) for mobile users, and found that the app was used far more. Two thirds of app users said it made them more involved in the games.
Wurtzel noted that consumers are becoming more comfortable with using alternative sources for video content. Slightly more than half of those who used Internet to follow the Vancouver games (52%) had not done so during the Beijing games, and 70% of those who used WAP had not done so during the Beijing games.
The data show offering additional sources of video does not cannibalize TV usage, but provides viewers with a more engaging experience that they can tailor to their own needs. In addition, three-screen consumers — who cross age ranges and are not ad avoiders — are here to stay and becoming more comfortable with watching video wherever and whenever they can. [Entertainment]
Sources: comScore, Tania Yuki, Director Video and Cross Media Products, 5 Penn Plaza, New York, NY 10001; 212-497-1700; tyuki@comscore.com; www.comscore.com. Price: Call for information.
NBC Universal, Alan Wurtzel, President Media & Research Development, 30 Rockefeller Plz., New York, NY 10112; 212-664-7565; alan.wurtzel@nbcuni.com; www.nbc.com.
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