STREAMING: ONE-THIRD OF TV VIEWING

 “Streaming audiences continue to hit record levels, with Nielsen’s The Gauge reporting that streaming now accounts for one-third of all TV viewing (33.7%).” Nielson reports that streaming viewing has also produced “record-high” viewing shares for popular streaming services. “Compared to June 2021, all reported streaming platforms in The Gauge have seen significant growth in viewing, led by Amazon Prime Video (+31.9%), Disney+ (+22%) and Netflix (+18.1%), Nielsen reported.” (TV Tech: 7/21/22)

NEWS VIEWERSHIP

While people 25-34 watch more news than any other program genre with an 11% share, and people 35-54 have a 15% share, the real winner in news viewing is the 55-64 demo.” Smaller in terms of years, they account for more viewership with a 16% share. Historically, marketers have focused on younger demos because they believed that older consumers were more brand loyal. However current studies report that 55-64 year-olds are open to trying new brands; with “very little difference between repeat brand purchases among 55-64 compared to other younger groups.” (Nielsen: July 2022)

NETFLIX EXPECTS MORE SUBSCRIPTIONS WITH AD-SUPPORTED TIER

As Netflix is on the path to having more advertising opportunities, they are expecting to see an increase in subscribers. Although ads may interrupt viewers’ favorite shows, people are still willing to subscribe… at a cheaper price. “In a mid-July CivicScience survey of more than 1,800 Netflix account holders, nearly one-third (32%) said they’d be likely to switch to a lower-priced or free version of Netflix that included ads.” (Civic Science: 7/20/22)

OTT ADVERTISING GROWTH

“BIA forecasts that U.S. local ad spending across all media platforms will rise to $167 billion in 2022, from $138 billion in 2020 – a CAGR of 10%.” While mobile and PC/laptop make up a large majority of digital media, “OTT and digital radio have surpassed mobile as the fastest-growing channels—with mobile now ranked third for growth rate.” Among the top-spending business categories for local OTT advertising are legal, HVAC, utilities, funeral homes, automotive, and restaurants. (MediaPost: 7/18/22)

NRF BACK-TO-SCHOOL TRENDS

Watch the National Retail Federation’s VP of Research, Mark Mathews, and Senior Director for Industry Insights, Katherine Cullen, discuss expectations for the back-to-school season. They discuss the state of the economy and the impact of inflation, the latest data on consumers’ shopping and spending plans, and the top product categories for back-to-school and college. “Cullen’s remarks follow the release of the NRF’s annual back-to-school spending forecast, which predicts the total will be $37 billion, even with last year” and “it expects back-to-college spending to rise sharply, to $74 billion from $71 billion last year.” (NRF: 7/20/22)