How to successfully navigate evolving viewing habits

Choosing what to stick on the TV has been a part of daily life for the best part of a century. But what used to be a quick flick through traditional linear channels has now evolved into viewers trawling through their favourite streaming services searching for that pot of content gold.

The TV landscape has become convoluted. Increased viewer fragmentation has left advertisers facing an uphill battle trying to identify where target consumers are spending the majority of their time and how to effectively engage them.

New acronyms and terminology are being introduced to try to make sense of this confusion, but you won’t see AVoD, SVoD and FAST popping up in consumers’ vernacular. And with the lines between streaming platforms becoming increasingly blurred - Netflix and Disney have introduced ad-funded tiers into their subscription models - allocating ad spend is trickier than ever.

In the eyes of viewers, TV is just that - TV. Samsung Ads’ latest report observes that when it comes to how they use and watch TV, viewers are driven more by content than platform. They are hungry for content recommendations during their moment of discovery, but are being overwhelmed by the level of choice. The onus is on the industry to help, not hinder, them.

The more things change…

The fundamental reasons we watch and enjoy TV have remained consistent throughout the years. It’s a communal experience, providing entertainment and a chance to escape from the hardships of the real world.

Look at consumers’ motivation for tuning in to live and on-demand programming. Some want to watch shows they’re looking forward to, others are searching for inspiration. The common denominator - these are content-driven decisions.

This isn’t an all-out battle pitching streaming against linear - audiences are watching both. But while viewership across all TV services is predicted to increase, they aren’t all enjoying the same share of consumers’ time.

Viewing time across free streaming services - such as Samsung TV Plus, Samsung’s free ad-supported TV (FAST) platform - is projected to rise by 39% across the UK over the next 12 months, compared with 22% for regular TV channels.

As viewing time increases across the board, the need for content recommendations is more important than ever. Choice paralysis has already become an inevitable part of modern viewing. Some 65% of viewers show a lack of patience and become frustrated after being unable to find something to watch.

And while various methods are used to find new content, 38% of UK consumers acknowledge they will visit a streaming service during this time of uncertainty. Leveraging native ad formats on Smart TVs can enable advertisers to connect with consumers at the moment of discovery.

Channel surfing through the ages

Emotionally, TV provides the same purpose across generations: it is able to adapt to the evolving landscape. However, how we use our TV is changing.

There’s a marked difference between younger and older audiences’ weekly viewing habits. More than 81% of 18 to 24 year-olds regularly engage with subscription streaming services - but this falls to 54% for traditional linear programming. Conversely, only 62% of consumers aged 55-64 watch SVoD services. However, their linear viewership (88%) is the highest of all groups.

Advertising on streaming platforms can also have a positive knock-on effect on brand image - particularly among younger audiences. Brands that use advertising within streaming environments are perceived to be five times more innovative and modern compared with those in non-streaming areas. These figures jump to eight and six times respectively for respondents aged 18-34.

Advertising potential

Advertisers have an opportunity to ditch the outdated silo mentality and adopt a holistic approach. TV is TV in the eyes of the consumer and it’s content, not platform, that is the differentiator. Acknowledging the high-value, enriching environment that TV advertising creates - and the nuances that exist between streaming and linear platforms - is the first step towards using both to their full potential.