H2 2023 State of Viewership: 5 Must-Know Takeaways for Advertisers

2023 is in the rear-view mirror and it proved to be quite an eventful year for our industry. There were distinctive opportunities and challenges, including the surge of live streaming sports, the repercussions of the actors and writers strikes, and the proliferation of new measurement for optimizing and analyzing ad effectiveness. 

With audiences continuing to transition over to streaming platforms for both live and scripted content, savvy advertisers must look to new approaches for their strategies. The insights from our H2 2023 State of Viewership report show that advertisers who embrace a holistic approach to targeting and outcome-based measurement will be well positioned to reach consumers effectively in 2024 and beyond. Read on for five key tips and takeaways to apply to your 2023 strategy and, for a deeper dive, download the full report. 

1. Lean into the new opportunities presented by live sports moving onto streaming platforms

Our data shows that live sports on streaming, such as Amazon Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football, are capturing attention from valuable audiences, including younger viewers (Gen Z over-indexed by 5%) and diverse groups. To reach these viewers as they shift away from linear, advertisers should embrace these new opportunities and can easily reach these younger audiences via Samba TV’s Audiences. 

2. Capitalize on the new advertising opportunities on AVOD platforms and FAST services, along with BVOD in the U.K. and Australia

With new ad-supported tiers on SVOD platforms like Netflix and Disney+ proving successful and FAST viewership increasing, consumers are showing willingness to watch ads in order to cut down costs. Meanwhile, linear TV reach remains on the decline, with a 4% year-over-year decrease and flat performance compared with the first half of 2023. Advertisers should get creative with their buys by incorporating AVOD and FAST to reach audiences who are shifting away from linear.

3. Content providers should leverage tune-in rate and halo-effect measurement of ad campaigns to attract new subscribers and increase stickiness

Streaming platforms are in a battle to retain audiences as many viewers cycle through subscriptions and platform churn increases, with about half (46%) of U.S. streamers watching two or fewer services during the second half of 2023. To keep viewers engaged, streamers need to maximize stickiness and discovery using the tools at their disposal. Samba TV’s tune-in measurement is a great tool to understand which campaigns (and the specific tactics within those campaigns) move the needle to drive viewership and retention. 

4. Use advanced targeting to reach unexposed audiences and limit over-saturation‍

Across markets in key verticals like insurance, CPG, political, and finance, ads are over-saturating the top 50% of TV viewers. What’s more, data shows that repetitive ads cause brand perception to worsen. With the 2024 election quickly approaching in the U.S., advertisers must use advanced targeting to reach unexposed audiences, and supplement with true reach and frequency measurement to ensure incrementality. Repetitive ads cause brand perception to worsen, making advanced measurement that includes TV and digital essential.

5. Follow the data to stay ahead of the impact from the actors and writers strikes‍

We are already seeing the impact of the actors’ and writers’ strikes, as programs based on novels, real events, or docuseries (genres that are less reliant on actors and writers) were among the most watched on streaming platforms, comprising seven of the top 10 shows of the half in the U.S. and half of the top 10 shows in the U.K. As the effects of the strikes bleed into 2024, it will be essential for streamers to find attractive content to bring in and retain viewers. Advertisers can expect to place more buys across genres like docuseries.

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