TV viewing has been evolving for years, but no one could have predicted where it would be today. While there was a lot of talk about the substantial uptake of connected TV (CTV) in the time of COVID, advertisers shouldn’t discount linear TV.
First and foremost, most TV viewers don’t make the same distinctions between free to air, CTV or BVOD unlike advertisers do. To them, it’s just TV. The modern TV viewing experience is increasingly about accessibility of content and taking control.
BVOD is here to stay
Following a huge increase in consumption during lockdown, we've seen BVOD now establish a new baseline for viewership that has maintained momentum into 2021. CTV in particular is driving growth in BVOD viewing consumption, with CTV accounting for approximately 60% of BVOD viewing. Supply is mimicking this trend, with the broadcasters experiencing record viewership numbers and therefore BVOD avails.
While BVOD and CTV may be having a “moment”, brands and advertisers that view TV as one channel – regardless if the ad runs across traditional broadcast channels or on-demand – will fare better in the constantly changing adland.
Connected TV is not just for younger audiences
While younger viewers have been the key audience of BVOD and CTV, the rise in ownership of Smart TVs has opened new doorways for older viewers to access non-linear content.
According to Statista, Smart TVs are the most used device to watch digital content, with nearly 46 per cent of adults ages 18-64 accessing the Internet via a Smart TV at least once a day. This provides an opportunity to reach older viewers with young adults and kids who can influence household viewing behaviours.
Traditional and digital data (and teams) need to come together
Advertisers must understand that traditional TV wasn’t built with programmatic in mind, nor was programmatic mechanics designed for linear. As video continues to become more fragmented than ever, TV buyers need to be more well-versed in the worlds of online and social video, and digital traders to be more in touch with linear, connected TV and BVOD.
Similarly, as traditional and digital buying teams come closer together, so does the data. While it’s important to note that traditional TV uses different data points than programmatic, the unification of as many data points – in either channel – brings better planning, optimisation and measurement for media buyers.
Measurement can unite the industry
TV still dominates when it comes to scale, attention, viewability and impact. However, digital is closely gaining on its heels due to its ability to better identify and hyper-target audiences, optimise in real-time and measure across devices.
TV buyers want some of what digital traders have – more visibility and control – without losing the core capabilities of the big screen. They’ve seen how quickly BVOD and CTV rose through the ranks and have similar aspirations for linear.
Ultimately, a cross-platform measurement solution could give both sides more accurate visibility into reach and frequency. We may be approaching the golden age of TV, but until we figure out how to measure total TV viewership, we’ll never be able to truly utilise TV to its full potential.
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