Steve Lanzano, President & CEO of the TVB (www.tvb.org), the not-for-profit trade association of America’s commercial broadcast television industry, today remarked on the actual video consumption habits of U.S. voters according to U.S. Census Bureau statistics analyzed in conjunction with recent Nielsen metered data.

“Nielsen’s 4Q13 Cross-Platform Report, based on actual metered device usage, directly contradicts recent studies based on self-reported viewer data claiming voters are abandoning Television,” stated Lanzano.

Lanzano added, “Nielsen’s shift to actual meter measured behavior for mobile video viewing is a wake-up call to candidates and their campaign strategists, political agencies and issue advocacy groups of the dangers inherent in trusting consumers’ claimed behavior-based research. The most accurate measures of video viewing by voters confirm Local Broadcast Television as the platform providing campaigns with the proven reach, target-ability and cost efficiency of any video medium.”

“It’s widely known that claim-based data on video viewing is biased. The advent of metered data in more devices has allowed us greater accuracy in understanding true cross-platform behavior,” added TVB’s Chief Research Officer, Stacey Lynn Schulman. “TVB’s analysis (below) of Nielsen’s 4Q13 Cross-Platform Report, in combination with U.S. Census Bureau data on voter statistics in 2008 and 2010, reveals Adults 35+, who make up the majority of voters in America (76%), spend only 3% of their monthly video consumption time with internet and mobile platforms. Even among young Americans 18-24 who spend the most amount of time of any age cohort with digital video (11%), Television remains their primary source of video entertainment.

“It is not by mistake that Nielsen replaced previous self-reported data with metered data for mobile video viewing in their 4Q13 Cross Platform Report. The new data brought to light that viewers overstated their time spent watching video on mobile phones by 538% in the 4Q12 Report (1 hour 23 minutes of mobile video viewing in 4Q13, vs. previously claimed 5 hours 23 minutes in 4Q12). In the same reports, using metered data in the 4Q12 and 4Q13 periods, viewers spent more than 100X more hours with Television on a monthly basis than they did with Smartphone Video.”

In comparison to voter statistics, the TVB analysis makes clear the importance of Television in reaching American voters.

For additional TVB analysis, please visit the following links: TVB Political Campaign Media Strategy and TVB on Nielsen’s Q4 Cross-Platform Report.

About TVB

TVB is the not-for-profit trade association of America’s commercial broadcast television industry. To learn more visit www.tvb.org.

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