• by Wayne Friedman , June 4, 2019

With TV viewing fractionalizing through different platforms and devices, new research suggests modern TV viewers should now be segmented into six different types.

Horowitz Research says one the largest of these groups is the "5 O'Clock Diners" -- about 35% of U.S. TV viewers -- who watch only through traditional TV.

Almost all of these viewers -- 91% --  subscribe to a traditional MVPD, watch virtually all live content, and are much less likely to subscribe to over-the-top (OTT) services, the research says. This group also tends to be older, less likely to have children in the home, and have a lower average income.

"Omnivores" are the next-largest group, comprised of 30% of TV content viewers. They watch TV with somewhat even use of traditional and streamed sources -- 39% of their weekly viewing for streamed content and 44% via a traditional MVPD or antenna-delivered live TV.

Next are "Mega Omnivores," who make up 15% of TV consumers and consume the most content on a number of platforms, devices, and types -- live, DVR, on-demand, streaming, and live streaming.

About 54% of their weekly viewing is through streaming. They are typically younger viewers who skew male, have children in the home, and have a higher average income compared to the Omnivores.

"Content Paleos" represent 12% of all TV content viewers. They stream all content, but do not subscribe to a vMVPD. While 32% subscribe to a traditional MVPD, they do not report watching live, DVR, or VOD content via their MVPD in a typical week.

"Flexitarian Lites," who make up 6% of TV consumers, stream most of their content and have an antenna to watch live TV. Although almost 10% subscribe to a traditional MVPD, they do not report watching it in a typical week. They are less likely to have children in the home.

The last group is "Flexitarians," which represent 3% of TV content viewers and stream all their content, and have both a vMVPD and a MVPD. They do not report watching live, DVR, or VOD content from their MVPD in a typical week, and are younger and more likely to have children in the home.

The study came from a mixed methodology phone/online survey among 1,600 to 1,619 TV content viewers who watch more than one hour of TV content/day.

The survey was conducted in January through February 2019 in English and Spanish. The data was weighted to represent the overall TV viewer universe.