TVB has released a new study of media habits that shows broadcast and cable outlets still dominate consumer viewing, with the widest reach of any media studied (81%) and large amounts of viewing each day (5 hours and 27 minutes.)
The study also found that local TV news remains the most popular and most trusted source of news.
The TVB research indicated that local TV is the primary source for local traffic, weather, and sports, with 29% of respondents citing local broadcast TV news as their primary source. The next highest news sources were all other internet news websites and apps and social media at 11% each.
Local TV is also the most trusted: people trust local broadcast TV news more than all other media platforms (74%); social media is the least trusted (40%).
The viewing time of 5 hours and 37 minutes for broadcast and cable notably outpaced all other media, with 3:46 (hours:minutes) spent each day with broadcast content and 1:51 for cable TV.
Adults 18-34, 25-54 and 35+, as well as Hispanics and African Americans, spent the most time with TV than any other media platform measured, the TVB said.
The TVB data breaks down streaming into various categories. Free streaming programs with ads accounted for 1:09 and paid streaming programs with ads accounted for 1:01 of viewing each day. However, if viewing of all the various streaming categories were added together from the TVB chart, they total 5:53, more than TV and cable combined.
The report stressed, however, that "broadcast and streaming is not an either/or decision, it's an and."
The study found that 88% of the time spent viewing TV & movie programming was done on the TV set, while only 12% of viewing was done on a mobile device. In terms of linear TV among adults 18+, about 71% of time spent is on programs/movies that have ads. Broadcast programs also dominate programming rankings, accounting for 10 of the top 10, 43 out of the top 50 episodes). The streaming episodes that made the cut are on services where most subscribers opt not to have ads.
Broadcast reaches 94% of those that view paid ad-supported streaming programs and 95% of those that view free ad-supported streaming programs on a TV, the study found.
Finally, TV is multiplatform: broadcast TV platforms, including websites/apps, reach 90% of viewers who use non-ad supported streaming services, the TVB said.
The study also marshaled data showing the effectiveness of ads. About 60% of respondents said that television ads are motivation to do further research online. Those numbers increase dramatically for car buyers (72%), home remodelers (71%), and legal service recipients (68%).
66% of car buyers and 63% of online grocery shoppers said that they read or watched local broadcast TV station content on a social media site.
More information is available here.
