Survey: CTV viewership drives ad performance opportunity
December 15, 2021
Findings from connected TV (CTV) performance advertising platform tvScientific’s survey indicate that a majority of consumers (57 per cent) say the primary way they watch television, movies, and other video content is by streaming it digitally, compared to just 26 per cent who watch through cable or linear TV.
Ninety-two per cent of consumers who watch streaming content also use at least one ad-supported service. Meanwhile, audiences claim that they find ads on TV or streaming less annoying than ads on social media, websites, or in mobile games, and that they’re able to recall ads on streaming TV 46 per cent of the time, which is at least 39 per cent more often than they can recall ads on other channels.
“We are in an age where digital advertising revolves around 2-inch ads sandwiched between an endless stream of social media content — and these ads command a staggering premium,” said Jason Fairchild, CEO of tvScientific. “CTV represents a unique new era in which advertisers can reach consumers with large, full-screen ads with no surrounding clutter. They deliver superior consumer recall and drive measurable performance for advertisers. Our new report paints a compelling picture of why advertisers need to adapt as CTV adoption grows.”
According to the survey, titled How CTV Advertising Powers The Performance TV Revolution, 50.4 per cent of consumers watch streaming video content from their smart TV or CTV, which is more than all other digital viewing options combined. Twenty-four per cent of respondents watch streaming content on an external smart device, while 11 per cent watch on a mobile device, nine per cent on a computer or laptop, and six per cent on a video game console.
Other findings:
- On CTV Usage: Of the consumers who stream television content, 86 per cent use more than one streaming service, while 39 per cent use four or more streaming services. Meanwhile, 92 per cent of consumers who watch streaming content also claim to use at least one ad-supported service.
- On Ad Recall: 46 per cent of consumers say TV and streaming ads are the most memorable, compared to 33 per cent brand recall for social media ads, 12 per cent for ads in mobile games, and just nine per cent for ads on websites.
- On Ad Influence: Ads on TV or streaming are essentially on par with social media ads in terms of how influential consumers say they find those types of ads, with 39 per cent of respondents citing TV/streaming as the most influential ad channel compared to 41 per cent who cited social media. Meanwhile, only 11 per cent of consumers find ads on websites the most influential, and only 10 per cent find ads in mobile games to be the most influential.
- On Ad Annoyance: Audiences say they find ads on TV or streaming TV less annoying than ads on other digital channels—it was selected as the “most annoying” channel by just 22 per cent of consumers, compared to 23 per cent for social media, 26 per cent for websites, and 30 per cent for ads in mobile games.
- On Second Screen Engagement: 78 per cent of consumers use a mobile device while watching television, while 31 per cent of TV watchers use a mobile device to research or purchase products they see advertised and 33 per cent of consumers say they bought a product after seeing it advertised on TV or a streaming service.