Online Availability of TV Shows Wins Favor with Consumers

NEW YORK: Making TV shows available online drives growth in the number of episodes watched and increases viewing time, according to new research from Knowledge Networks.

The study, TV’s Web Connections 2012, finds that 42 percent of respondents say that having video online makes them think more highly of a TV network, up from 30 percent reported in 2008. It was also shown that 22 percent say they would never have watched some shows if they hadn’t been accessible online, compared to 10 percent in 2009. Twenty percent report that they spent more time watching a network’s content after it went up online, up from 2008’s reported 9 percent.

The study also shows that, among streamers, TV network sites are the preferred source of network content, cited by 57 percent of those who watch streaming network video. This compares to 37 percent who cited non-network sites, such as Hulu, as their preferred source.

Downloaders are more likely than streamers—30 percent versus 20 percent—to say that they spend more time watching TV network content after it becomes available online. According to the study, the availability of online TV network video is the best website feature for increasing program involvement and sponsor consideration.

“The gains from making TV content available online are significant and growing, but they may pass under the radar of traditional metrics,” said David Tice, the senior VP of client service at Knowledge Networks and director of The Home Technology Monitor. “Few advertisers would pass up the chance to be seen more favorably by consumers; yet that benefit may be missed if we are focused solely on metrics such as audience size. To truly understand the ROI of online content, we need subtle, more expansive measures that reach across digital platforms.”