• by Wayne Friedman , August 1, 2023

As advertising-supported streaming platforms continue to see steady growth, so-called “ad intolerant” television viewers are still in the minority. 

According to new research from Hub Entertainment Research, about 16% to 17% of viewers say they “can’t tolerate ads, no matter what.” The data was gathered over a two-year period from June 2021 to June 2023.

Around 34% to 35% of viewers during that time period said they were willing to watch ads to see shows they are interested in. 

The biggest percentage -- around 49% to 50% -- can  tolerate a certain amount of advertising. But should there be too many they may go elsewhere.

According to other related data from the same study, 59% of consumers now say they would rather save money and would watch ads if watching those ads will save them $4 to $5, with 41% saying they want to avoid ads even if it costs them $4 to $5 more per month to watch something. 

The data is from a 2023 research report, and is based on 3,063 U.S. consumers ages 14-74, who watch at least 1 hour of TV per week. 

AVOD -- advertising video-on-demand streaming -- is the fastest growth segment of connected TV, estimated to reach total 157.1 million viewers by the end of this year, with subscription TV viewers growing more slowly at 222.2 million.

Total connected TV revenue is projected to hit $25.1 billion this year.