Is the end of the TV era nigh? On to mobile video content!

[jrineakter]

Is the end of the TV era in sight? You probably notice it in your own viewing behavior: on average, we watch less and less TV. Linear TV viewing (watching TV when something is programmed) is decreasing more and more in the Netherlands. Last year, 78 percent of the Dutch watched TV daily, this year it is only 70 percent. A significant decrease in just one year! What does this mean for the (online) marketer?

Reality check!
So we watch less linear TV, but does this mean the end of the TV era? Absolutely not. Despite the fact that linear TV viewing is decreasing, we see that consumption of online and on-demand video and programs is increasing! Take YouTube for example: last year, 15 percent of the Dutch watched at least one video on YouTube every day, now this is already 20 percent. Among young people (16 to 24 years old) the increase is even more extreme. Where last year 29 percent of young people watched YouTube every day, this is now 42 percent! In other words, where we see that traditional TV is decreasing, we see a striking increase in online video.

'Moving' your TV commercial online?
Okay, you've made a TV commercial, but you also want to be visible online. Perfect, because the commercial is already there, you only have to stick it in front of a YouTube video and kuwait telegram number list your reach is immediately increased. Wrong! The consumer behaves very differently online than when he is sitting in front of the TV. Moreover, on YouTube you can click on ' skip ad ' after five seconds. Not very handy if your commercial lasts thirty seconds.

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Example of an advertisement on YouTube.

Video is being watched en masse via smartphones
The shift from linear TV to online and on-demand is not the only one. If we zoom in on online viewing behavior, we also see a shift from watching via laptop/PC to watching via smartphone and tablet. Of online viewing behavior, 44 percent is already via smartphone, compared to 45 percent on PC or laptop. A different screen size also requires different content.

Smartphone video: vertical or horizontal?
With the smartphone, you not only have to deal with a smaller screen. The way of looking is also different. Where PC screens strongly resemble TV screens, namely horizontally, the smartphone user often holds his screen vertically. You probably recognize it in yourself. Without realizing it, you increasingly record vertical videos. Moreover, it is not unusual to 'lock' your screen in vertical position (there is nothing as annoying as your screen constantly tilting when you don't want it to!).

Having to rotate a screen and turn off the vertical 'lock-stand' are all actions that can turn your audience off. In addition, vertical video is becoming increasingly normal. Snapchat, for example, is even fully equipped for vertical use. So why not record and distribute your video vertically as a marketer?

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Primetime is all day long
Watching online video on your smartphone not only means a shift from horizontal to vertical. The moments at which you can reach your consumer are also completely different than via TV or laptop. With your smartphone in your pocket all day, everyone has access to online video anytime and anywhere. Where the evening hours after dinner used to be labelled as 'prime time', prime time is now the whole day long. As a marketer, you can also reach your target group all day long with online commercials and video. In addition, you can personalise commercials even more.

TV your new 'second screen'?
Where previously the smartphone and tablet were characterized as a 'second screen' next to the television screen, the roles have now been reversed. Worldwide we see that 69 percent of TV viewers during 'prime time' not only watch TV, but are also browsing on their smartphone, tablet or laptop at the same time. This is even more true at the moment when the commercial break is started.

Does your brand still get the full attention of your viewer when your commercial comes along? Probably not. This means that you need to find a strategy to entice your viewer to look away from his small screen for a moment. Pretest your commercial not only among 'engaged' viewers, but also among test subjects with a smartphone in their hand. This is the only way to see which cues really grab attention!

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In short: online requires a different strategy than TV
In short, we see in the TNS study 'Connected Life' that viewing behaviour is shifting from linear to online and on demand, both worldwide and in the Netherlands. And if the consumer is already watching linear TV, he is often also browsing on his smartphone, tablet or laptop. In addition, the consumer is increasingly watching online video via the smartphone and viewing behaviour via PC and laptop is actually decreasing. As a marketer, food for thought: is my TV commercial still 'tempting' enough to get full attention? And how do I ensure that my commercial is 'online proof'? Immerse yourself in the possibilities of different channels and especially immerse yourself in the viewing behaviour of your target group!

About 'Connected Life'
The trend in this article is the third trend in a series of 8 from the global study Connected Life. Every week I publish one of the trends based on insights and cases. The first trend is about the connected consumer and the second trend about the fragmentation of the social media landscape .

Connected Life 2015 is an annual study of digital behavior among 60,500 consumers in 50 countries, representing 90 percent of the global online audience. The output is need-to-know material for the development of digital and connected strategies for markets, targets and consumer segments. Based on this enormous 'pot' of data, we can zoom in on each target group and 58 different product groups.