As Digital Viewing Surges, Nielsen Shines a Spotlight on Growing Over-the-Air

Nielsen identifies these digital video households as OvertheAiramp160homes OTA and their numbers are growing rapidly amp160According to its most recent Local Watch Report as of May 2018 more than 14 of households or 16 million homes are considered OTA amp160Within this new population householdsamp8217 demographics spending and viewing habits vary widely amp160To sort through the details Nielsenamp8217s Vice President of Local Insights Justin LaPorte spoke to MediaVillage about why OTA is expanding so quickly the implications for brands and programmers looking to reach these consumers and how Nielsen keeps up with measuring the shifting video landscapeAlli Romanoamp160 Nielsenamp8217s research shows that the number of OTA homes is rapidly growing amp160What are the most important factors that have contributed to this riseJustin LaPorte amp160Conventional wisdom points to the cost savings benefits but other reasons include the adoption and consistent growth in broadband access TVconnected internetenabled devices and streaming services either SVOD or other networkspecific streaming services amp160There are also simple and costeffective options for other content to complement overtheair options such as SVOD and skinny bundle options also known as vMVPDs amp160Additionally since the digital transition in 2009 it has become easier and more costeffective to obtain a digital tuner to get free overtheair broadcast channels amp160In many cases now digital tuners are now even built into TV setsWhen it comes to understanding the complete picture of TV consumption itamp8217s critical to measure OTA homes in order to properly represent the TV population amp160This has always been our No 1 goal at Nielsen amp160Regardless of the type of TV household we have to include them all in our measurement to be fully representative amp160With the growth of OTA homes there is clearly even more value from a consumer standpoint for continued recruitment and inclusion of these homes in our panel amp160OTA homes are made up of different ages sexes and incomes and they are a diverse mix of Asian Hispanic black and white nonHispanic viewersRomano amp160For brands looking for new ways to reach video viewers what do you think are the biggest takeaways from the evolving OTA audienceLaPorteamp160 Because of this there is a greater need for obtaining data on these consumers and Nielsen is already measuring viewers wherever they might be through Total Content Ratings and Digital Content RatingsRomano amp160Looking at OTA households the SVOD and the vMVPD homes could be particularly attractive for advertisers amp160What are the particular challenges for understanding these viewersLaPorte amp160First most SVOD content is not adsupported so to reach people watching that content is difficult amp160However through our Total Audience Measurement strategies we increasingly know viewer behaviors across all different types of platforms amp160vMVPD content on the other hand is a way to obtain local broadcast channels and cable networks through a broadband connection Typically the commercial content is linear although sometimes it is dynamic amp160Either way this is a growing addon platform for advertisers to reach viewers and thatamp8217s very similar to traditional wired cable and satellite services amp160Because of Nielsenamp8217s panels and content tagging like digital in TV ratings DTVR we already measure vMVPD content whether you watch it on a TV screen or on a personal deviceRomano amp160There seems to be a lot of momentum behind vMVPD household growth amp160What do you think is most attractive about these services to consumersLaPorte amp160Cost choice and flexibility of what they want to watch amp160Also the fact that people are not tied to longterm contracts is another compelling reasonamp160 Consumers have many different options to choose from like YouTube TV Sling TV Sony PlayStation Vue Hulu Live Fubo TV and others amp160Also the ability to view local broadcast stations and cable networks on a TV screen or personal device almost anywhere is incredibly attractive as long as there is a wired or wireless broadband connectionRomano amp160How do all these new OTA households consume video differently from other video viewers ie cable and satelliteLaPorte amp160You need to look at each one separately because theyamp8217re all so different a sort of flavor each to their own amp160The amp8220No SVODamp8221 group watches far more linear TV and has less TV streaming than traditional cablesatellite homes amp160The amp8220Plus SVOD without a vMVPDamp8221 group watches far less traditional TV but streams twice as much on the TV screen amp160The amp8220Plus SVOD with a vMVPDamp8221 group looks fairly similar to the amp8220Plus SVOD group without a vMVPDamp8221 but half of their traditional time spent is with cable and the other half with broadcast sources since they have access to both amp160Both the amp8220No SVODamp8221 and amp8220Plus SVODamp8221 groups almost primarily watch broadcast sources in their traditional TV timeRomano amp160Which group of OTA households do you expect to show the most growthLaPorte amp160While weamp8217re not in the forecasting business more choice is becoming available to consumers especially with new services and expanded evolving current services amp160Based on what we see in the current data we know that growth is most prominent in the amp8220Plus SVODamp8221 segment up from 4 of the total US households in 2015 to 83 in 2018 amp160The amp8220No SVODamp8221 homes declined to 58 in 2018 so there is a slow and steady decline in this groupRomano amp160How do you think programmers and producers should approach these consumers amp160Has this audience hit a critical mass where networks and station groups should start thinking of programming specifically to themLaPorte amp160I think all three segments of OTA households should be looked at like any TV household amp160There are different values to reaching each of them very different profiles and very different media consumption behaviors amp160The key is to research these segments and understand them better to help determine which of them fits into the audience you are trying to reachClick the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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As Digital Viewing Surges, Nielsen Shines a Spotlight on Growing Over-the-Air

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