Increasingly, everyday life moves online. And marketers move along with it, placing emphasis on digital channels over traditional ones in their marketing mixes. News headlines have announced this shift by promoting the idea that TV has “died.”
So it’s not unreasonable to ask: “Does anyone even watch TV anymore?”
The answer, though, is a resounding yes. After sleeping, watching TV is Americans’ favorite pastime. TV is a source of entertainment, information, and stress relief. And yes, what’s shown on TV can even inform purchase decisions.
So how does TV fit into our digital world?
Most households still own a TV.
In 2000, 98% of US households had a TV set. And while TV’s popularity has declined over the last couple of decades, Nielsen reports the drop in households with TV sets is a mere 2%—meaning 96% of households still have a TV. That’s 118.6 million homes. Plus, the average household actually has more than one TV set.
TV consistently reaches larger audiences than any other channel.
In just one day, TV reaches 70% of the US population. In a week, it reaches 90%. And over the course of a month, almost everyone has watched some TV. This type of broad reach has undeniable value for marketers. Part of the shift toward digital marketing channels has meant narrower audiences for a given brand’s marketing campaigns. TV’s reach serves as a healthy complement to this highly targeted approach.
The average adult watches hours of TV daily.
Not only do people still watch TV, but they watch a lot of it. In Q1 of 2021, the average adult spent 4 hours and 49 minutes watching TV daily. What exactly everyone’s watching is where things can get complicated, however. There are more ways to watch TV (and more ways to buy it) than ever before. Learning how your audience watches TV is an important step for any potential TV advertiser. But your audience absolutely is watching.
TV advertising boasts unparalleled reach and visibility.
TV advertising is fully capable of connecting brands with customers. TV remains the second-largest marketing channel by ad spend, after digital advertising. That’s because it’s still highly capable of driving growth for brands of all types. Pretty impressive for a channel declared “dead.”
Learn more about TV’s continued relevance.
Listen to CEO Chuck Hengel discuss the brands exploring TV today—and the impact of the channel on their businesses.
