VOD Viewers Watch More, Not Less Linear TV, Claim Nielsen, Comcast

Video-on-demand does not cannibalize traditional television viewing, according to research from Nielsen and Comcast.

The joint analysis shows households that used VOD watched 38 percent more television than all cable homes, and 9 percent more than digital cable homes.

The three-month study, which was presented at a CTAM on-demand event Thursday, used information from the Philadelphia DMA, merging Comcast VOD (branded "On Demand") usage data with Nielsen data covering homes that had Comcast digital cable and were participants in the Philadelphia local people meter sample.

VOD, of course, is still an emerging platform, and behavior could change as penetration grows.

The study indicated that VOD users like the service, averaging 69 minutes of use per day. Also--not surprisingly--it showed the VoD audience skews younger, with 97 percent of VOD users younger than 54, compared to 70 percent of the general television audience. Adults 18 to 34 made up 37 percent of the VoD audience.

Which is more popular, free or pay VOD? That's up in the air. The study showed that free VoD had a higher sampling, perhaps because of its no-cost allure. But, so-called SVOD (subscription video-on-demand)--which as a rule includes more-desired content--accounted for more actual minutes.

advertisement

advertisement

Next story loading loading..