Welcome to the latest edition of State of the Screens.  

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Onward,

Michael Beach
CEO, Cross Screen Media

1. Ad-Supported Streaming Grew 40% in 2023

Five big questions re: how we watch TV:

1) Is broadcast/cable gaining ground on streaming?

2) Is ad-supported streaming growing?

3) Which streaming networks account for the highest share of total TV?

4) How many channels do we watch?

5) What other non-TV platforms are we watching videos on?

Big question #1: Is broadcast/cable gaining ground on streaming?

Quick answer: No.  Time spent with linear TV is down 7% YoY and 18% vs. two years ago.

Share of total TV time according to Nielsen:

1) Streaming - 36%

2) Cable - 28%

3) Broadcast - 24%

4) Other - 13%

Change in ratings for 2023 vs. 2021, according to Anthony Crupi:
1) NFL regular season - ↑ 4%
2) Overall linear TV - ↓ 18%

What has stayed the same: We watch a ton of NFL football games.

What has changed: We watch far less of everything else.

Flashback: Linear TV = Football With a Side of News

Wow: In 2012-13, 20 different shows on broadcast drew 10M+ viewers.  Last year (10 years later), zero shows hit that number.

Sessions per month for average viewer (September 2023) according to Nielsen:
1) Fox News - 10.6 times
2) MSNBC - 10.1
3) YouTube - 8.8
4) ABC - 8.6
5) NBC - 8.1
6) CBS - 8.1
7) Netflix - 7.6
8) CNN - 7.4
9) Hulu - 7.1
10) FOX - 6.5

Big question #2: Is ad-supported streaming growing?

Share of total TV time by streaming type according to Entertainment Strategy Guy:

1) Subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) - 19%

2) Ad-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) - 9%

3) Free ad-supported streaming (FAST) - 3%

YoY change for total TV time by streaming type:

1) FAST - ↑ 288%

2) AVOD - ↑ 13%

3) SVOD - ↑ 7%

Big question #3: Which streaming networks account for the highest share of total TV?

Share of total TV time (streaming only):

1) YouTube - 9%

2) Netflix - 8%

3) Amazon Prime - 3%

4) Hulu - 4%

5) Disney+ - 2%

6) Tubi - 1%

7) Peacock - 1%

8) HBO Max - 1%

9) Roku Channel - 1%

10) Paramount+ - 1%

11) PlutoTV - 1%

12) Other - 5%

Big question #4: How many channels do we watch?

Quick answer: 16 or fewer.

Big question #5: What other non-TV platforms are we watching videos on?

Quick answer: TikTok.

Average minutes per day among 18+ users according to eMarketer:
1) Netflix - 62
2) TikTok - 58
3) YouTube - 49

Wow: A TikTok user spends virtually the same amount (94%) of time with the app as a Netflix user.