In the U.S., the annual Upfront (and Newfront) events put TV media in the center spotlight. This year, we’re diving into the Nielsen data to help the industry understand the trends that are shaping the way we watch.
1. Linear TV still represents the majority of the ad-supported opportunity.
Looking at our most recent classic Gauge report–which represents total use of the television set–you can see that linear TV and streaming are rather close to one another in terms of share. Broadcast and cable combined represent 44.5% of time spent, and streaming represents 43.8%.
However, when we peel back the onion a bit more and look strictly at ad-supported viewing, we can see that gap gets significantly wider. In our recently released Ad Supported Gauge, broadcast and cable combined account for 57.6% of time spent, while streaming is at 42.4%. So, while streaming certainly continues to gain ground, when it comes to the opportunity to see ads, linear still has a significant lead.
2. TV’s multiplatform opportunity has come into focus.
O streaming mudou permanentemente o cenário da televisão nos últimos 10 anos, e é fácil pensar que se trata de uma competição entre o mundo do streaming e o mundo da transmissão e da TV a cabo. No entanto, quando você analisa os dados de exibição recentes, verifica-se que se trata mais de uma conversa "sim, e" (para usar uma frase do mundo da comédia de improviso).
Certainly there are moments when each platform shines: Thanksgiving football and the Super Bowl on broadcast; New Year’s college football on cable; Stranger Things e Suits on Netflix. However, we’ve also seen how the different platforms can work together to really meet different viewers where they are. The 2024 Summer Games are one clear cut example: NBCU’s Peacock delivered live streams and highlights by sport throughout the competition, but NBC’s primetime coverage still saw substantial increases compared to the prior Summer Olympics. This year’s Super Bowl is another: Tubi was able to draw a different but complementary audience relative to FOX’s broadcast.
There are more subtle examples as well. The first season of CBS’s Fire Country launched on Netflix just before the third season premiered on broadcast, and likely reached viewers who hadn’t seen the show previously. Then, when the third season opener landed on Paramount+, it saw a 55% bump in viewership compared to the second season premiere.
E mesmo se analisarmos os ativos de televisão de uma empresa individual e examinarmos a audiência por idade demográfica, podemos ver onde há oportunidades de atingir públicos diferentes em um único portfólio. A Disney é um exemplo dessa dinâmica; a NBCUniversal e a Paramount seriam outros dois.
3. O streaming tem se tornado cada vez mais competitivo - há mais hits em mais plataformas.
Netflix remains a powerhouse in the streaming world, but as other platforms mature and content strategies evolve, we’re seeing a wider range of titles land in our top 10 rankings. Five years ago, Netflix carried eight of the 10 top streaming assets, but this past March, we saw a total of seven different companies score entries on the chart. This creates more opportunities for brands to be part of the cultural conversation.
It’s also important to see this in context as originals that attract a big audience tend to peak quickly whereas multi-season titles with deep libraries (e.g. NCIS, Anatomia de Grey) are critical to hold audiences over time.
4. Os esportes representam uma parcela cada vez maior da audiência da TV linear, mas também estão gerando grandes números para o streaming.
In the four year daily viewing trend above, you can see the big spikes in viewing on broadcast and cable around major eventos esportivos. But it isn’t just the big moments that are attracting viewers; in fact, sports content has increased its share of viewing on linear TV in each of the last four years. Entertainment content retains the lion’s share, but in 2024, sports approached 20% of total viewing time among adults 25-54. Given how powerful live sports are for both fan engagement and as a promotional platform, it will continue to be a major asset for networks.
All that being said, streamers are certainly part of the sports conversation now, and are seeing it pay dividends. Thursday Night Football on Prime Video averaged over 14 million viewers this past season, and the Christmas Day NFL games on Netflix hit new streaming highs and helped drive total streaming viewership to over 50 billion minutes for the first time on a single day.
5. O conteúdo em vários idiomas e as bibliotecas profundas tornam o streaming um ótimo lugar para alcançar públicos diversos.
As we’ve noted in our Negro/PretoTest e AANHPI Diverse Intelligence Series reports this year, multicultural consumers are essential for brands to connect with. Linear TV certainly still offers options to reach them–for example, broadcast is particularly important for Hispanic homes–but the depth and breadth of streaming options available today allows audiences to really dig in.
Como a Netflix e o YouTube transmitem muito conteúdo internacional, não é de surpreender que eles representem uma parcela significativa do tempo entre públicos diversos, especialmente espectadores hispânicos e asiáticos. As duas plataformas são responsáveis por cerca de um terço do tempo total de televisão para ambos os grupos.
De modo geral, o streaming reflete mais de perto a composição do universo total da TV do que o linear. Mas a análise de plataformas individuais revela camadas adicionais de oportunidades. Já mencionamos a Netflix e o YouTube, mas outros exemplos incluem o The Roku Channel e o Tubi, que têm um índice muito alto entre o público negro.
