New research from Ampere Analysis suggests that in just two years, the proportion of internet users claiming to watch little to no linear TV in a typical day grew 22 per cent to almost half (45 per cent).
The research was carried out with a worldwide demographic of 54,000 adults aged 18-64 across 28 markets, and suggests that while younger groups are most disengaged with broadcast TV, 35 per cent of those claiming to watch no linear TV were over 45 years old; a rise from 28 per cent in Q1 2017. However, Ampere’s own analysis of the findings says that despite broadcasters’ traditional audiences moving away, there are opportunities to retain viewers through a mix of live and event content, and via enhancing broadcaster streaming offerings.
“At first glance, the decline in linear TV viewing looks to be a worrying trend for broadcasters as their traditional audience begins to drift away,” said Minal Modha, research director at Ampere Analysis. “However, as the increased engagement with broadcast-led video services shows, if the linear channels can continue to adapt and provide a strong OTT offering for audiences switching from scheduled TV channels, they have an opportunity to retain them, albeit on a different medium.”
The research revealed that in Q1 2023, 45 per cent of internet users claimed to watch little to no linear TV on a typical day; an increase of 22 per cent on Q1 2021. The number of “high linear TV viewers” – those who watch at least four hours of broadcast TV daily – declined from 19 per cent to 15 per cent in the same two-year time frame, while the volume of those watching more than four hours of VoD content in a typical day rose from 58 per cent 62 per cent.
