Viewers have audaciously made their preferences known in the last couple of years, and they are seemingly not returning anytime soon. In India, where data is recovered at an astoundingly low price, the growing shift of viewing preference from cable and satellite broadcast to digital transmissions has been remarkably significant.
Broadly classified under the age group of 30 or younger, they are quickly becoming the most sought-after demographics for both advertisers and entertainers. While broadcast TV still remains highly relevant across Entertainment & Media platforms, multiple stakeholders are now expressing the need to shape strategies that accommodate the cross device unique audiences and duplication in streaming. Most leading publishers have their entire linear catalogue running on OTT as well, thereby expanding the reach and availability of the same content to a growing base of incremental audience. Likewise, News genre has also taken to live-streaming their pre-scheduled ‘on-air’ content online to their internet subscribers.
As these streaming platforms evolve, it is essential to understand the incremental reach that can allow publishers/advertisers to seize and capture an appeal with a huge, engaging audience. Incremental reach is not limited to differentiating between TV and online viewership, but instead establishes a distinctive audience that engages with OTT platforms in addition to the audience exposed to linear TV campaigns. The Chrome DM panel, representing 1174.54 million internet/C&S individuals in India, uses a hybrid process of assembling online surveys and tracking content by means of digital fingerprinting technology to collect data.
These reports are generated using an in-house SDKs installed in mobile phones and connected TVs across a panel of 81,782 respondents. As per the report generated by Digital Track during week-16, AAJ TAK dominated overall reach with 63.00 million individuals across all digital endpoints i.e. YouTube, Native Apps, OTT, Browser, YouTube Live & Samsung In-built Apps. YouTube dominated the digital medium by reaching more than half of the viewer base. Times Now Navbharat follows in second position by reaching 41.46 million unique viewers.
Moving forward, the cord-cutting behaviour paired with the subsequent migration of the young user base to online streaming platforms ensures a turn of transition from C&S broadcast to digital platforms. The world is fast moving to digital and rightly so – no wires, no cables, no geographical boundaries and to a great extent no intermediaries. Revenues will sway towards digital, and online platforms will retain a competitive edge as they continue to emerge as the preferred choice amongst the viewers and consumers in the coming years.
