What’s impacting TV viewing, right now? The cold weather!
New research from Roku on the streaming habits of Canadian consumers and what it means for streaming tech reveals, for example, that TV weekend streaming increases by 10 percent across October and November in comparison to an average day.
Christina Summers, Roku Canada
“We’re smack-dab-in-the-middle of a period known in popular culture as “cuffing season,” explained Christina Summers, Head of Ad Sales, Roku Canada. “For those who haven’t heard the term before, it’s the phenomenon of people looking for partners during the fall and winter. The trend is discernible enough to be recognized by relationship therapists, dating apps and Merriam-Webster – and the resulting behaviours are ones that advertisers should take advantage of.”
“Namely, an increased volume of couples cuddling up on the couch (thermoregulation is tied to our evolution, so it’s natural to cuddle more during cold weather) to stream comfort content: rom-coms, sitcoms, holiday and rewatching old favourites.”
“In fact, a recent study by Roku – Video on Demand Evolution (VOD), shows that 45 per cent of TV streamers love spending time watching shows and movies they’ve watched before.”
“In addition to rewatching, the study finds that Canadian TV streamers are, in general, watching almost 22 hours of TV a week.”
Cold Weather and Advertising
Marketers and advertisers take advantage of colder-weather streaming, confirmed Summers.
Summers stated, “In 2023, Roku’s study found that 41 per cent of Canadians were watching Broadcaster Video on Demand (BVOD) and Advertising-based Video on Demand (AVOD) services every month. This is great news for advertisers and marketers who are look at integrating TV streaming into their omnichannel campaigns – especially heading into the colder months – to help maximize their reach and overall ROI.”
“Not only are there more “eyes” viewing TV screens during “cuffing season,” but our research finds TV streamers are significantly more responsive to ads than non-streamers (70 per cent of TV streamers vs. 54 per cent of non-TV streamers), explained Summers. “For example, while watching TV, streamers are more likely to visit a brand’s website or online shop (38 per cent), search for more information on a product (36 per cent), or place items in an online basket to buy later (25 per cent) than those viewing traditional TV media. As such, advertisers and marketers should look to explore and experiment with their ad creative, as well as other ad formats, such as Video Action Ads interactive video, home screen placements, and more. In short, TV streamers are not just increasing their streaming hours during “cuffing season,” they’re also, in general, more primed to shop via their streaming services.”
“Finding the right balance between advertisers and the viewing experience is often delicate, so Roku focuses on only showcasing one advertiser at a time, to both maximize the message and keep the experience clean,” stated Summers. “This approach varies within the Connected TV space across different platforms.”
“Our platform is designed to enhance the ad experience for both advertisers and viewers,” added Summers. “What we call the “Discovery Mindset” is when TV streamers are open to suggestion and in consideration mode, where advertisers have opportunities to engage.”
“From here, there are many ways for advertisers to play a part in the streamers’ journey. From offering suggested shows and movies in content hubs (for example, our “Featured Free” selection) to hosting a specially curated Movies & Shows Playlist presented by a brand. Even from the moment TV streamers turn on their TVs, content can be discovered through varying ad formats on the home screen alone. Action-based ads, which integrate seamlessly into standard video ads, offer alternative ways for brands to advertise through TV streaming.”
Summers also elaborated on its Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) technology which identifies TV content played on smart devices and matches it with metadata, such as genre and TV channels, to help advertisers optimize their screen investments.
“ACR enables advertisers to analyze content consumption behaviours through video ‘fingerprints,’ giving marketers the ability to control their reach, optimize frequency of display, and enhanced targeting based on time frames.”
There is certainly countless content – and advertising – opportunities in the cosy world of TV streaming.
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