• by Wayne Friedman , November 8, 2017

TV consumers discover a new show via traditional advertising sources, while finding an online show happens through word-of-mouth.

Hub Entertainment Research says that 51% of consumers find out about a traditional pay TV show through advertising via TV, print, social media or other online sources -- versus 22% from word-of-mouth, in-person or online.

For online-sourced shows, 40% of consumers find out about a program via word of mouth, and 26% through traditional advertising.

Hub says the data was collected last month from among 2,214 U.S. consumers with broadband who watched at least five hours of TV per week.

The survey also finds that 52% of viewers say they view their favorite show “online,” while 48% view those shows through the traditional pay TV set-top box. A year ago, research showed that 40% of viewers watched their favorite show online and 53% via a traditional multichannel video program distributor’s set-top box.

Per research, 29% of consumers say their favorite show is on Netflix; three years ago, 14% of consumers said their favorite show was on popular subscription video-on-demand platforms.

The survey also notes that 57% of consumers discovered a TV show online and then watched it later through a traditional pay TV provider.