With a big election coming up, LG Ad Solutions has released a study showing that Democrat, Republican and independent connected-TV users all prefer streaming compared to cable, satellite and broadcast.
LG hired Keith Norman last year to head political ad sales. The study will be used to help convince candidates to shift more money from traditional TV to streaming.
“We wanted to understand the affinity for CTV regardless of political affiliation and location across the country and found voters are streaming and are open to receiving political advertising,” said Norman, VP of sales, political practice, at LG Ad Solutions.
“This research underscores a seismic shift towards streaming across all political affiliations and geographic regions in the U.S.,“ Norman said. “Political marketers must adapt their outreach strategies accordingly, prioritizing CTV and streaming to ensure comprehensive voter engagement.”
Money is already moving. Citing a forecast from AdImpact, LG Ad Solutions said political-ad spending on connected TV is expected to jump 24% to $1.34 billion from last year’s midterm elections.
LG’s survey found that independent voters particularly like streaming, with 70% saying they preferred streaming to cable, satellite or broadcast.
Among Democrats, 63% said they preferred streaming, while 57% of Republicans voted for streaming.
Other findings include:
- Over the past 12 months, viewers across political parties have begun watching less linear TV, with Democrats watching 27% less, Republicans watching 35% less and Independents watching 39% less.
- Regardless of political affiliation, CTV users in the U.S. prefer free, ad-supported streaming television (FAST), with 69% of Democrats, 72% of Republicans and 66% of Independent affiliated viewers stating they prefer FAST to ad-free subscription streaming.
- 93% of viewers across parties indicated that they multitask across devices while streaming, creating extended opportunities to engage on mobile and desktop.
Perhaps most importantly, CTV viewers expect streaming ads to be relevant, increasing the likelihood of engagement.
LG said the findings support that there are advantages to dong business with a smart TV maker.
“Our direct-to-glass strategy allows political marketers to leverage our proprietary advanced ACR (Automatic Content Recognition) data for precise targeting while maintaining reach and frequency control, which hasn’t been possible before,” said Norman.
CTV also enables advertisers to target streaming-only voters, avoid the high costs of commercial time on broadcast and focus on ZIP codes rather than designated market areas (DMAs).
LG Ad Solutions said it surveyed 973 U.S. CTV users who are affiliated with political parties via an online panel in February and March.
