(Photo by Minerva Studio/Shutterfly)
By STEPHANIE PRANGE
Source: www.mediaplaynews.com, September 2023
Nearly all TV viewers — 97% — watch ad-supported content, according to a recent survey from Hub Entertainment Research, with six in 10 consumers reporting they would prefer an ad-supported platform if it saved them $4 to $5 over an ad-free service. That also goes for a third of the people who told Hub they cannot tolerate TV ads.
For the first time this year, more viewers expressed a preference for services offering tiered plans over exclusively ad-supported or ad-free streaming, according to the Hub study.
“This appears to be good news for formerly ad-free services like Netflix and Disney+ that have gone to tiered services in the past year,” according to Hub.
The providers with the newest ad-supported services got higher marks from subscribers for their ad experience in the study.
Viewers were more engaged with the advertising when they believed the overall ad loads and break lengths were reasonable.
“When consumers are stacking multiple video subscriptions, advertising provides a real benefit,” Mark Loughney, senior sonsultant, Hub Entertainment Research, said in a statement. “Viewers can choose the price points and levels of ads that appeal to them, while they access their preferred content. However, it is essential that video providers do not take advantage of consumers tolerance for ads. By keeping ad loads and commercial breaks within reasonable levels they can count on wins with both subscribers and advertisers.”
