TORONTO – The rise of the second screen is not killing TV, but in fact increasing viewing. And while more TV viewers are using PVRs, the majority still watch the ads instead of skipping them. The findings come from the survey “Television Truths” released by the Television Bureau of Canada (TVB) on Jan. 22, 2013 to dispel myths around TV viewing habits.
It also found that 94% of Canada’s population is still connected to television through a broadcast distributor or by receiving free, over-the-air signals, and the number is increasing as more Canadians rely on conventional television. It added that three key content pillars preventing cord cutting: sports, reality TV, and news. The TVB report findings are based largely on internal TVB data and research from BBM Canada and Media Technology Monitor
Canadians continue to watch about 28 hours of TV each week and online video consumption actually adds to the time spent with TV content, pushing it up to 32 hours a week. For example, of the 3.5 hours that adults aged 25-54 devote weekly to online video content, 1.4 hours is with TV content.
PVR household penetration has nearly doubled in the last two years to 39.4%, but it found that 95% of all TV content is still viewed “live.” And even when programs are played back later, the majority of viewers still watch the ads, with 59% of even the A18-34 segment stopping fast forwarding to watch ads of interest.
The report also includes results from a 2010 biometric research study using neuroscience to track the physiological responses traveling from the emotional centres of the brain to measure “pure engagement without bias.” It claims that people are far more emotionally engaged by TV advertising than any other form, with engagement to “TV ads 1.8x greater than online video, 3.1x greater than radio, 5.6x greater than newspapers and many times greater than static online displays.”
The survey also found that overall investment in TV airtime and creative is growing as advertisers continue to recognize the value of TV content. Advertising in Canada has grown $3.9 billion over the past decade, and while online revenue has skyrocketed, revenue for most media has remained stable, or has grown says the TVB. It notes that while TV revenue grew by $1 billion, most of the growth went to online allowing it to gain share from the other media.
