Lindsey Clay from Thinkbox in the UK here – we’re the body that represents commercial TV in the UK (so everything from ITV to Netflix to Channel 4 to Disney+). Yours is a sobering analysis, and no one in TV is in any doubt about the challenges the industry faces. However, I have some points that I hope add some helpful context and even optimism. They broadly cover two themes: TV set viewing vs. devices, and TV viewing vs. advertising.
TV set viewing vs. devices…
‘All screen’ viewing trends in the form of ‘share of all video’ paint a particularly negative picture for TV. Devices and high internet speeds have democratised video so that it now forms a much broader part of our lives beyond the confines of our living rooms. The total volume of video we view has increased; the pie has grown. Social video doesn’t just compete with TV, it competes with radio, magazines, general internet usage, the time we used to spend talking to each other in real life…
If we limit the picture to a more consistent playing field – the TV set – we get a fairer view of the degree to which TV has evolved and the nature of the competition the UK TV businesses face…
Comparing 2023 viewing to 2015, all adults TV set viewing has declined by just 12 minutes per person, per day. Linear viewing has dropped from 95% of viewing to 71%, but BVOD and SVOD collectively get it back up to 95%. The TV set is still the home of TV, with YouTube only accounting for 5%.
Among 16-34s there’s no denying the shift is more pronounced. Compared with 2015, they spend an hour less watching content on the TV set, but this viewing is still dominated by TV: 34% is linear TV, 14% is BVOD, 40% is to the SVODs, and 12% is to YouTube. With the SVOD players adopting ad tiers, this means the opportunity to reach younger audiences within a high quality, curated, big screen environment has increased year-on-year.
TV viewing vs. advertising…
Separating out the TV set is also important from an advertising point of view. We know from a recent consultation with advertisers that they are increasingly splitting video into two buckets: the higher quality, higher attention environment of a TV set, and the lower quality advertising arenas of devices. From an advertising POV, it is important to understand what’s happening on the TV set because that is a much more effective advertising environment.
Broadcast TV viewing has been declining as viewing shifts to streaming. But the impact of this on advertising can be misunderstood. Even if we look across all screens, TV still accounts for 83.5% of video advertising time (54% for 16-34s). And that’s just quantity – the quality of the ad environment sets TV apart.
Forgive the lengthy response. I’m an admirer of your work and agree with loads in your article. It will spark debate, I’m sure, and I hope you and your readers find my points useful.
All incredibly valid and useful. Would love to dive into this more with you! Perhaps there’s a collab WE could do to delve deeper into the numbers and trends. Thanks so much.
The excellent Thinkbox data and research are amongst my first ports of call when I know a video debate is impending.
Last week I attended a webinar where social video "views" were conflated with TV "viewing" and presented as direct comparisons. The most worrying thing is that nobody seemed to care.
Thanks for that, Scott. The level of misunderstanding and general apathy about things that you might think media professionals would know/care about is quite dismaying. But, we’ll continue to do our best to provide context and clarification (like here) or correction and challenge where necessary.
I don’t know whether this will get to you but I thought your Mind The Gap Report was brilliant - but I don’t know what the categories mean - you quote P4+ and P4-15 and Im not sure what they mean. I am assuming A16-34 is the age but don’t understand the rest.
Thanks. These are standard TV demographic categories. P4+ is "people over four years old." P4-15 is "people between 4 and 15 years old." A16-34 is "adults between 16 and 34 years old."
Thank you for sharing this incredibly insightful piece.
The time for YouTube to be considered a TV channel is overdue, but platforms are addicted to short form advertising which harms the viewing experience on long form videos. Long form video on all social video platforms is undersold (not under represented) to advertisers despite performing strongly. Introducing scheduled YouTube ad-breaks based on chosen video duration could change the game again.
The point that generations age is crucial and is too often overlooked by those who think time stands still - this is true for people who make TV/Video as much as those who buy the ads on it. I look at those kind of charts horizontally and ask what the 50yr old in 2024 was doing in 2008, and what the 20yr old in 2005 is doing now. Behaviours change with age and life-stage and your perspective on this is fresh because the platform-world is here to stay.
Thank you for this Evan. Really really useful to have the analysis of specifically UK data all in one place. As a Gen-Xer (and TV freelance development exec) I feel my habits have changed pretty rapidly. Using broadcast TV for specific staples like news, big national/international events like the Olympics, good documentaries and occasional dramas (both of which I will watch on iPlayer etc). And then being a bit of a magpie across Apple and Netflix - mainly for the occasional "must see" doc and shiny new drama series like Slow Horses. However, even my streaming habits have toned down esp on Netflix...!
Hi Evan,
Lindsey Clay from Thinkbox in the UK here – we’re the body that represents commercial TV in the UK (so everything from ITV to Netflix to Channel 4 to Disney+). Yours is a sobering analysis, and no one in TV is in any doubt about the challenges the industry faces. However, I have some points that I hope add some helpful context and even optimism. They broadly cover two themes: TV set viewing vs. devices, and TV viewing vs. advertising.
TV set viewing vs. devices…
‘All screen’ viewing trends in the form of ‘share of all video’ paint a particularly negative picture for TV. Devices and high internet speeds have democratised video so that it now forms a much broader part of our lives beyond the confines of our living rooms. The total volume of video we view has increased; the pie has grown. Social video doesn’t just compete with TV, it competes with radio, magazines, general internet usage, the time we used to spend talking to each other in real life…
If we limit the picture to a more consistent playing field – the TV set – we get a fairer view of the degree to which TV has evolved and the nature of the competition the UK TV businesses face…
Comparing 2023 viewing to 2015, all adults TV set viewing has declined by just 12 minutes per person, per day. Linear viewing has dropped from 95% of viewing to 71%, but BVOD and SVOD collectively get it back up to 95%. The TV set is still the home of TV, with YouTube only accounting for 5%.
Among 16-34s there’s no denying the shift is more pronounced. Compared with 2015, they spend an hour less watching content on the TV set, but this viewing is still dominated by TV: 34% is linear TV, 14% is BVOD, 40% is to the SVODs, and 12% is to YouTube. With the SVOD players adopting ad tiers, this means the opportunity to reach younger audiences within a high quality, curated, big screen environment has increased year-on-year.
TV viewing vs. advertising…
Separating out the TV set is also important from an advertising point of view. We know from a recent consultation with advertisers that they are increasingly splitting video into two buckets: the higher quality, higher attention environment of a TV set, and the lower quality advertising arenas of devices. From an advertising POV, it is important to understand what’s happening on the TV set because that is a much more effective advertising environment.
Broadcast TV viewing has been declining as viewing shifts to streaming. But the impact of this on advertising can be misunderstood. Even if we look across all screens, TV still accounts for 83.5% of video advertising time (54% for 16-34s). And that’s just quantity – the quality of the ad environment sets TV apart.
Forgive the lengthy response. I’m an admirer of your work and agree with loads in your article. It will spark debate, I’m sure, and I hope you and your readers find my points useful.
All incredibly valid and useful. Would love to dive into this more with you! Perhaps there’s a collab WE could do to delve deeper into the numbers and trends. Thanks so much.
Sounds great. We'd love to.
The excellent Thinkbox data and research are amongst my first ports of call when I know a video debate is impending.
Last week I attended a webinar where social video "views" were conflated with TV "viewing" and presented as direct comparisons. The most worrying thing is that nobody seemed to care.
Thanks for that, Scott. The level of misunderstanding and general apathy about things that you might think media professionals would know/care about is quite dismaying. But, we’ll continue to do our best to provide context and clarification (like here) or correction and challenge where necessary.
I don’t know whether this will get to you but I thought your Mind The Gap Report was brilliant - but I don’t know what the categories mean - you quote P4+ and P4-15 and Im not sure what they mean. I am assuming A16-34 is the age but don’t understand the rest.
Is it possible you could tell me?
Thanks. These are standard TV demographic categories. P4+ is "people over four years old." P4-15 is "people between 4 and 15 years old." A16-34 is "adults between 16 and 34 years old."
Really helpful - thanks so much and great insight
Thank you for sharing this incredibly insightful piece.
The time for YouTube to be considered a TV channel is overdue, but platforms are addicted to short form advertising which harms the viewing experience on long form videos. Long form video on all social video platforms is undersold (not under represented) to advertisers despite performing strongly. Introducing scheduled YouTube ad-breaks based on chosen video duration could change the game again.
The point that generations age is crucial and is too often overlooked by those who think time stands still - this is true for people who make TV/Video as much as those who buy the ads on it. I look at those kind of charts horizontally and ask what the 50yr old in 2024 was doing in 2008, and what the 20yr old in 2005 is doing now. Behaviours change with age and life-stage and your perspective on this is fresh because the platform-world is here to stay.
Thank you for this Evan. Really really useful to have the analysis of specifically UK data all in one place. As a Gen-Xer (and TV freelance development exec) I feel my habits have changed pretty rapidly. Using broadcast TV for specific staples like news, big national/international events like the Olympics, good documentaries and occasional dramas (both of which I will watch on iPlayer etc). And then being a bit of a magpie across Apple and Netflix - mainly for the occasional "must see" doc and shiny new drama series like Slow Horses. However, even my streaming habits have toned down esp on Netflix...!