Special Edition: The surprising truth about TV effectiveness

This newsletter comes from the hosts of The Marketing Architects, a research-first show answering your biggest marketing questions. Find us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts!

 

Welcome to a special edition of Marketing Blueprints. Today, we’re bringing you part of our new research report, “TV’s Future is Much More Than Connected.”  

—Elena 

 

73% of marketers agree linear and CTV work better together.       

TV has been a cornerstone of marketing strategies for decades. But today, marketers are starting to ask... “What is ‘TV’ really?” 

20 years ago, TV’s definition was clear. It was cable, broadcast, and satellite. You watched it in your living room with your family and waited for your favorite show to cycle around every week.  

But what about streaming, CTV, OTT, video you can watch anywhere, anytime? Is all that still ‘TV’? 

Consumers in the U.S. can now find content on more than 32,200 linear channels and 89 streaming video sources. And the lines between each source are blurring on multiple fronts. 

1. Streaming is taking cues from traditional TV. Streaming used to equal no ads, highly produced shows, and paying for each platform separately. Now 70% of consumers say watching ads on streaming is just part of the typical viewing experience, long-running broadcast procedurals are getting fresh attention on streaming services, and bundles are definitely in. 
   

2. Consumers don’t discriminate between forms of TV. 74% of TV households watch both streaming and linear programming monthly according to Nielsen. And when asked to define TV, the top answer for consumers is that it’s “anything I can watch on my TV set.”
   

3. Linear streaming is on the rise. Nearly a third of time spent watching streaming is with live linear content viewed through a streaming platform. And yes, even the commercials are the same. 

So yes, linear TV is ‘TV.’ So is Connected TV. 

The good news is that thinking about TV holistically can lead to even better results for marketers. Research shows maximum reach comes from combining linear and CTV. And using both forms of the channel ensures you reach your audience wherever they watch, your customer experiences a consistent buyer journey, and your campaigns benefit from TV's halo effect. 

All this is why, according to a survey of more than 300 marketers, most agree linear and CTV work better together to achieve marketing goals. Download the report at the link below to learn more. 

Read the report.