New Survey Reveals More than Half of Voters View Ad-Supported OTT

Author: Keith Norman, Head of Political Sales, Premion.

Everyone is consuming more local news and with the acceleration of streaming TV audiences, OTT is proving to be a game changer for political advertisers for the 2020 elections. Campaigns are capitalizing on the powerful combination of data-rich digital targeting in a linear TV experience to deliver more personalized messages with greater frequency to reach this high-value and engaged OTT audience.

In our newly released 2020 Ad-Supported OTT Voter Study of 1,500+ US consumers, Premion uncovered the extent and preferences of ad-supported OTT voters as an audience that’s receptive to political ads and equally as valuable as linear-only voters. 

Among the top-line findings:

• More than half of likely voters view ad-supported OTT; 55% of likely voters view ad-supported OTT, with 41% of them tuning into OTT daily.
• Ad-supported OTT voters average 15+ hours a week streaming and use multiple streaming devices, across all key demos: 18+, 25+, 35+ and 55+
• 44% of ad-supported OTT voters named ad-supported OTT programming as their first choice in viewing video programming across all key demos
• All voter groups watch ad-supported OTT in similar numbers; Democrat / Left-leaning 45%, Republican / Right-leaning 44% and Independent / Independent-leaning 39%.
• Nearly one-third of likely voters cannot be reached by linear TV.

In analyzing political behavior, voter turnout was comparable among ad-supported OTT voters and linear-only voters in recent elections. The survey reveals that political participation is higher for ad-supported OTT voters across all key demos; 66% of ad-supported OTT voters took part in political activities in the past year. That said, one in four ad-supported OTT voters and linear-only voters are still undecided.

While the impact of political ads are strong across all key ad-supported OTT voters, base voters are more likely to take action after watching political ads versus independents. In fact, 39% of ad-supported OTT voters have taken action after seeing a political ad; 18% of ad-supported OTT voters changed their mind on a candidate or issue after viewing a political ad. The study suggests that ad-supported OTT reaches the undecided as well as an engaged base.

Our study validates that ad-supported OTT via Connected TV is a valuable medium for political advertising given the material number of streaming voters in 2020, and political advertisers cannot run an effective campaign without reaching them.

Methodology:
An online quantitative study was conducted among a total of 1,503 consumers: 751 ad-supported OTT voters and 752 linear-only voters. Interviews occurred among a nationally representative sample of the US, resulting in 1,375 interviews. A supplemental sample of linear-only voters was conducted. Data collection occurred between April 28 and May 3, 2020.

To view additional insights from the survey, download the 2020 Ad-Supported OTT Voter Study.