In the not-so-distant past, you had to wait until you were home in order to watch your favorite television show. Unfortunately, if you were away when it was showtime, you had either better hope your VHS recorder was setup correctly, or you simply missed out on that week’s episode. The struggle was real. Thankfully, we now have ways to catch up, and with literal viewing screens in our pockets, that viewing can happen how and when we want it.

The traditional method of watching television is going by the wayside, with more than half of U.S. 18- to 49-year-olds either watching minimal TV or don’t even subscribe to a typical television service. However, it is not time to count out this form of entertainment just yet – thanks to current trends on YouTube.

Traditional TV and Online Video

According to Google, consumers have doubled the amount of time they spend viewing official TV channels on YouTube over just two years ago. Not only that, but more are viewing YouTube content on a television screen, showing a growth of 70% just over the past year thanks to the abundance of smart TVs and streaming devices. The notion of prime time television is also being challenged, as almost 7 in 10 viewers chose to watch available YouTube videos on their TVs during the prime-time slot.

YouTube is providing more than just entertaining content as consumers have begun watching more videos that provide them with more insight into the shows they enjoy. For example, last summer, it was found that for each hour viewers spent watching “Game of Thrones” when it was aired on television, there were 30 minutes of watch time for “Game of Thrones”-related videos on YouTube at the same time*. These types of videos on YouTube included “explainer” videos, cast and character videos, and episode previews and predictions, each of which saw a large growth in views just over the past year.

Viewers also have a true fear of missing out on the videos, clips, movies, and shows that everyone is talking about, but just don’t have the time to watch it all. Over the past year, “what you missed” entertainment video views doubled; highlight and scene compilation video views quadrupled; and episode and movie compilation views increased 50%*.

Although television shows aren’t going away anytime soon, the shift in how the content is consumed is important to note. Ensuring your advertising campaign includes components that allow your ad to appear on YouTube is important. Customers are engaging with content that interests them, making it easy to target those you are trying to reach, providing more value to your ad each time it is generated.

Our team can help you get your message in front of the growing YouTube audience, or optimize your current campaign for the results you’re looking for. Connect with us today to get started!

Check out this infographic for other recent trends on how TV is changing.

*Source: Think with Google

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