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.
流媒体在过去 10 年里永久性地改变了电视业的格局，人们很容易认为这是流媒体世界与广播和有线电视世界之间的竞争。但是，从最近的收视数据来看，这更像是一场 "是的，而且 "的对话（借用即兴喜剧界的一句话）。
Certainly there are moments when each platform shines: Thanksgiving football and the Super Bowl on broadcast; New Year’s college football on cable; 怪事 和 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 超级碗 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.
即使我们纵观单个公司的电视资产，并按年龄人口统计分析收视情况，我们也能发现在一个单一的投资组合中，有机会接触到不同的受众。迪斯尼就是这种动态的一个例子，NBC 环球和派拉蒙则是另外两个例子。
3.流媒体的竞争越来越激烈--更多的平台上有更多的点击率。
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. 海军罪案调查处, 实习医生格蕾) are critical to hold audiences over time.
4.体育节目在线性电视收视中所占的份额越来越大，但同时也为流媒体带来了巨大的流量。
In the four year daily viewing trend above, you can see the big spikes in viewing on broadcast and cable around major 体育赛事. 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.多语言内容和深层库使流媒体成为接触不同受众的绝佳场所。
As we’ve noted in our Black 和 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.
由于 Netflix 和 YouTube 上有大量国际内容，因此它们在不同受众，尤其是西班牙裔和亚裔观众中占有相当大的时间份额也就不足为奇了。这两个平台约占这两个群体总电视时间的三分之一。
一般来说，流媒体比线性电视更能反映整个电视领域的构成。但从单个平台的角度看，会发现更多层面的机会。我们已经提到了 Netflix 和 YouTube，但其他例子还包括 Roku 频道和 Tubi，它们在黑人观众中的指数严重偏高。
