Report Shows Online TV Viewers Receptivity to Ads

RESTON: Internet users have a higher tolerance for ads while watching episodic content online, according to a report released by research firm comScore.

The results of the survey of more than 1,800 web users show that online advertising’s "sweet spot" is between 6 and 7 minutes per hour—higher than the approximately 4 minutes per hour that is currently consumed by ads delivered in online TV content.

"As cross-platform TV viewing becomes more widely adopted, it is important to understand the driving forces behind this shift in consumer behavior if we are to effectively monetize this emerging medium," said Tania Yuki, comScore’s director of online video and cross-platform product. "While some analysts have suggested that the shift to online video reflects a consumer desire to view fewer ads, our research suggests that in many cases online TV viewers actually have a higher tolerance for advertising messages than they are currently receiving. This finding, of course, suggests there’s advertising revenue being left on the table and that media companies have not yet extracted full value out of the online medium."

Also in the findings is that 75 percent of cross-platform viewers (who watch both TV and online episodic content) selected "online" over "TV" because they were able to watch the show wherever they wanted, while 74 percent selected online because they were able to watch the show on their own time. They also preferred online TV viewing for the ability to stop and play shows when they wanted (70 percent) and less interference from commercials (67 percent). When asked specifically why they watched TV episodes online, the most frequently cited reason was that they had missed an episode on TV (71 percent), followed by convenience (57 percent) and fewer ads (38 percent).

The demographic most prone to time-shifted viewing is the 18-to-24 set—only 35 percent of viewers in that group indicated they watched episodes live. Also showing a predilection for on-demand viewing were 25- to 34-year-olds.