Survey: 76% of U.S. Adults Still Use Broadcast TV; Ad-Supported Streaming Gaining on Cable

Linear TV deserves a moment in the sun. Despite the increasingly rapid decline of pay TV, people are still enjoying the traditional TV experience in the United States, according to a new survey commissioned by television broadcasting company TVB.

That survey found that 77% of U.S. adults reported watching TV via broadcast channels or cable. The survey breaks those sources down individually as well, demonstrating that 76% of adults watched broadcast TV channels in the 24-hour period before being surveyed, versus 54% who watched cable TV. Streaming video with ads was the seventh-most used form of media, with 48% of respondents admitting to using it on the last day, according to the data. TVB did not include ad-free streaming in this study, as it was focusing specifically on how advertising impacts viewing.

In terms of time spent watching TV, the broadcast was the leader once again. TVB’s report shows that people spent an average of three hours and 37 minutes watching broadcast TV. Cable TV saw just over half that amount of time, with one hour and 54 minutes on average. Streaming with ads was close behind cable at one hour and 25 minutes per day.

The numbers show that while broadcast TV is holding strong, troubling signs for pay TV continue to mount. Despite offering dozens more channels than broadcast TV does, cable and satellite companies are competing more directly with streaming services than they are with other linear TV sources. Ad-supported streaming is increasingly successful, and its no wonder, considering over 60% of U.S. households watch at least one free ad-supported TV (FAST) channel via streaming.

Ad-supported streaming may be spreading, but it still has some work to do in terms of convincing users to buy new products. According to the survey, television was still the most effective medium in influencing purchasing decisions by a fair amount. Just 5.1% of respondents said they were most influenced by an advertisement they saw while streaming a video.

Part of the reason for this dramatically higher influence of TV ads is the frequency of those ads. Ad-supported streamers typically feature low ad loads in an attempt to differentiate themselves from traditional TV. Streaming services usually offer 4-5 minutes of ads per viewing hour, as compared to double that amount or more on TV. Given that heavier ad load — and the likelihood that linear TV viewers will see the same ad more than once — it’s hardly surprising that traditional TV is a more effective advertising tool for the present.

Expect streaming services to continue stepping up when it comes to being more effective advertisers. Disney+ recently told advertisers that it was bringing on the suite of tools that the company already uses to target ads on Hulu. Netflix recently doubled the number of subscribers signing up for its new ad-supported plan, suggesting that next year’s survey may show ad-supported streaming gaining on cable even faster in terms of time spent watching and effectiveness of ads.