MENLO Park, Calif.—Families—usually the target audience for primetime TV—are losing interest in linear TV for kids and family content according to a survey from Future Today, a provider of family-oriented AVOD services.
“More families have shifted away from traditional linear TV altogether,” said Vikrant Mathur, Co-Founder, Future Today. “As that has occurred, it’s important to better understand how families are choosing to view content and what ad experiences they find worthwhile, especially as ad-supported video-on-demand viewership in the US surges.”
Key findings from Future Today’s study include:
More Than 60% Have Cut the Cord Completely
According to Future Today’s research, as an audience, parents who stream kids and family-focused programming are unique, young, diverse, and more engaged than the average streamer.
Nearly two-thirds (62%) don’t have access to linear TV and 90% say they rarely watch it. Additionally, of the families surveyed, 85% of the parents fall in the 25-44 age range. Thirty six percent are also more likely to identify as Black, while 78% are more likely to identify as Hispanic. Finally, 98% of families polled say they love watching TV and 81% agree that TV is their favorite form of entertainment, making it a key channel for advertisers.
“For advertisers trying to reach a diverse and engaged audience, buying kids and family-focused inventory presents a rich opportunity,” added Mathur.
Kids & Parents are Discussing the Ads They See
Future Today found that ads featured in kids and family-oriented streaming programming are engaged with and evaluated across a household, with kids being a key decision maker over purchases and brands.
According to parents, 60% of kids who see ads talk to them about the ads afterwards. This includes broader family-based ads in categories such as Travel, Restaurants, Food Products, Insurance and Auto that are non-kids-centric as parents say 88% of kids who watch these ads are “engaged,” while more than half (52%) ask them to buy what they saw.
“Kids are the CEO of the streaming household,” said Mathur. “If a message resonates with them, they are vocal about it to their parents, influencing purchases and brand equity. For brands that are trying to connect with millennial parents, having a presence on Kids & Family channels not only provides a conduit to the entire household but also sparks conversations that create lasting brand equity. ”
More than 300 families were polled for the study.
