The Average TV Show’s Millennial Audience is 8% Bigger Than We Thought

August 11, 2017

Nielsen recently began measuring out-of-home (OOH) TV viewing, which takes place in areas such as airports, bars, and gyms. The research firm has now released some figures related to such viewing, finding that it provides a disproportionately large lift to TV programs’ young audiences.

Overall, Nielsen reports that almost 60% of OOH viewing impressions come from core buying demographics. People ages 18-34 comprise more than one-quarter (26%) of impressions, while those aged 35-54 and 55+ each add another third (32%).

While the 18-34 group isn’t the most heavily represented among OOH viewers, the addition of these viewers results in a greater audience lift from in-home viewing for this bracket than for any other.

Specifically, adding OOH viewing to the equation results in an 8% lift in broadcast and cable programs’ 18-34-year-old audiences. That’s greater than the lift in the 35-54 (5%) and 55+ (3%) audiences, as well as for kids ages 6-17 (+5%).

OOH Contributes Almost Double-Digit Increase in Sports Event Audiences

In analyzing the genres that are watched the most out of the home, Nielsen found that Sports Events lead not only in percentage lift but also in time spent.

Beyond the 30-odd hours already spent on sports events, viewers watched in excess of 2-and-a-half hours of sports events outside of the home during the January-May period.

The resultant 9% lift from in-home viewership for sports events was matched only by “Audience Participation” shows. However, viewers spent only an additional quarter-hour or so watching this type of programming out of the home.

Finally, viewers also watch a good deal of news programming outside of the home, clocking in at more than 2 hours extra (for a 3% lift). Nielsen points to James Comey’s recent testimony as an example, noting that ratings for the 18-49 demo were up by 11% for broadcast airings and by 17% for cable airings when factoring in out-of-home audiences.

All told, while an 8% bump among Millennials isn’t enough to offset the large declines in TV viewership among younger Americans, it’s nonetheless significant and something advertisers will no doubt be happy to be learning of.

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