• by Larissa Faw , January 31, 2018

The trend among advertisers to air digital ads along with or instead of traditional TV spots around the time of the big game may be a smart move, according to Adtaxi's Super Bowl Viewership and Consumer Streaming Trends Survey.

Nearly half (47%) of respondents will use secondary media to consume Super Bowl-related content while viewership via streaming services is expected to be up 45% from last year. Two in three (68%) will use social media. On average, those seeking related content will use 2.1 different channels on average, such as social media, as well as sports websites, and group chat forums.

Female respondents (35%) are more likely to use social media than male respondents (29%), while the males (18%) are more likely to use sports sites than the females (10%).

"This creates a unique opportunity for brands to reach audiences in multiple places at the same time," stated Chris Loretto, executive vice president, Adtaxi. "For instance, a Super Bowl viewer chatting with their friends on Facebook about a television commercial they just saw can simultaneously be targeted with a digital advertisement for the same brand.”

In addition to the Super Bowl's emergence as a multi-screen platform, the digital marketing agency's survey underscores how streaming services have been embraced by mainstream Americans. Nearly three in four (74%) stream content digitally, with 31% consuming at least half of their TV programming that way. However, movies (69%) are still the most popular type of content streamed in a typical month overall, followed by news programming (37%), sports programming (27%) and awards shows (9%).

Although Netflix continues to jack up its subscription rates, saving money (59%) is the most popular reason for moving away from traditional cable to digital streaming, followed by wanting to watch on one’s own schedule (56.28%) and avoiding TV commercials (45%).

“There is no doubt about it—streaming is on the rise, and advertisers must either adapt to keep up with the rapidly-evolving landscape, or face falling behind," says Loretto.

The online survey queried 1,000 Americans representing a broad range in household income, geographic location, age and gender.