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TVision’s Eyes-on-Screen TV Attention Report for the third quarter 2018 provides an interesting update on traditional TV viewer attentiveness for both programs and commercials. TVision uses patented technology to measure when its panelists are in the room, and if their eyes are on the screen, both on a second-by-second basis. From this, TVision derived an Attention Index (viewers with eyes on screen ÷ viewers in room with TV on) and a Creative Attention Score (commercial attention index ÷ commercial pod attention index), which are the focus of this particular report.
On an overall basis, women were more attentive than men to both programming and commercials, with a more marked difference towards commercials. By age, persons aged 55-64 were far and away the most attentive to both programs and commercials, indexing at 120.4 and 122.3 respectively. This was followed by persons aged 45-54, who also came in above average in attentiveness to both programs and commercials. Unsurprisingly, persons under aged 44 indexed below average on both counts. All of this is consistent with attentiveness findings we have reported in TV Dimensions over the years. The only point of diversion was with adults aged 65+, who we have reported as being above par in attentiveness; TVision reported below average attentiveness levels with this age group, at 98.8 for programs and 93.8 for commercials (see table).
When it came to specific networks and shows, the TVision report demonstrated some interesting variations based on seasonality. First, despite being a younger-skewing network, the CW came out on top in overall primetime TV attentiveness, but as TVision points out, this is because the larger broadcast networks mainly rely on reruns and game and reality shows to fill their summer schedules, while the CW premiered new programming during this time (its show, The 100 ranked second in attentiveness in this time period, at 151.7). Not surprisingly, CBS came in second, likely bolstered by a strong viewership among the most attentive age group (55-64).
Ultimately, TVision’s report reinforces the fact that attentiveness is not a static phenomenon. Yes, we expect that women and older adults are generally more attentive, but perhaps younger viewership may be indexing lower than normal because they aren’t as interested in the types of programming offered in the summer months or are distracted by the comings and goings of the season. And yet we see that a show like the CW’s The 100 can transcend these norms and pull in high attentiveness ratings. It’s food for thought for advertisers and agencies who use attentiveness in making media planning decisions.
We profiled the “ad receptivity” component of the iab’s Ad Receptivity and the Ad-Supported OTT Viewer report a few issues ago, but we wanted to revisit the report to discuss what we felt was an underemphasized aspect: the demographics of the ad-supported video viewer. Although we were underwhelmed by the general nature of the reporting on ad receptivity (just because viewers agree with the statement “Even when I skip an ad, I remember what the ad was for,” doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s true in practice), we were much more interested in how the demographic profile of ad-supported over-the-top video (ASV OTT) viewers differed from the general population and from other types of video viewers.
As shown in the table below, viewers who watched ASV OTT the most were unusual when compared to the total U.S. population, and more crucially to those utilizing other video-viewing platforms. As is usually the case with broadcast and cable TV viewing (TV-only column), the demographics skew female, older, and less affluent; however, ASV OTT viewers skew male, young and affluent, all elusive but desirable marketing targets. And although SVOD viewers (paid monthly viewership of an ad-free service like Netflix) closely parallel the demographics of ASV OTT viewers—and admittedly reaches far more people—the key difference is that ASV OTT features ads. Sure, SVOD viewership is appealing, demographically, but without ads, does it matter?
