Is YouTube
really sucking away viewers from traditional linear TV?
New research from the Video Advertising Bureau suggests that the two platforms are coexisting just fine.
The VAB report
found YouTube enthusiasts watched just as much traditional ad-supported TV (50% watch three hours or more) as the average adult age 18+ (48% watch three hours or more).
YouTube viewing is
largely in addition to traditional TV viewership, rather than supplanting traditional TV viewership.
“It’s important to understand it’s not an
‘either/or’ proposition between YouTube and TV viewing,” says Marianne Vita, VAB’s vice president, strategic insights. “Our study reveals YouTube enthusiasts are avid
video viewers with a strong desire for long-form, professionally-produced episodic ad-supported TV programming.”
The VAB, which counts large TV and media companies as
members, commissioned the research from Research Now, and defined “YouTube Enthusiasts” as millennials who watch original YouTube content.
The research also found
YouTube enthusiasts are 85% more likely to watch a traditional TV program live on air than a YouTube video shortly after it is posted.
By design, YouTube is meant to be consumed at the
viewer’s convenience, with less emphasis on live programming, which may explain the disparity.