While the fight between TV and streaming services continues with a majority of advertising dollars leaning toward the latter it appears that there’s one definitive choice when it comes to what consumers utilize with multitasking.
According to TiVo research, more digital viewers multitask with live TV than any other given format. Per eMarketer, 53 percent of those polled indicate that live TV is the key choice to use while multitasking, followed by 28 percent with time-shifted TV and 19 percent with over-the-top or streamed content, including Hulu and Netflix.
The main reason for TV being the main choice is pretty simple: commercials. A majority of streamed content doesn’t utilize advertising (save for Hulu and other select channels), while regular TV still relies on it greatly in terms of revenue and sponsorship.
As far as how often these viewers multitask when it comes to TV programming, 44 percent stated that they do it nearly every time that a commercial comes on while 40 percent indicated that they do it sometimes; 12 percent do it every single time a commercial airs. Regarding what activities viewers take part in when it comes to multitasking, TiVo reports that the top choice was eating, as indicated by 76 percent of the audience, followed closely behind by sending text messages with 69 percent.
Because of its lack of commercials, Netflix has become a preferred choice for some viewers, since the current model of the service doesn’t use them (at least, for the time being). Of course, original programming like Jessica Jones certainly doesn’t hurt either.
So what can marketers and companies do to turn the tide? A big part of the solution lies in changing around how it caters to consumers with ads. Some companies go all out with catchy ad campaigns including some that get their start with big events, like the Super Bowl and avoiding the pitfalls of stale commercials. However, it’s hard to see what companies will take the initiative and try new things with their advertising.
