TV Viewers in SE Asia Watch Ad-Supported Streaming

 

Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, finds that ad-supported streaming services deliver scale and impact for brands and that 71% of TV viewers in Southeast Asia watch ad-supported streaming, closing the gap with traditional TV viewers.

The study reveals that ad-supported streamers are spending an average of two hours a day watching streaming content and embracing content across devices. These cross-device viewing habits generate more meaningful connections with brands and influence purchasing decisions. 68% of ad-supported viewers take action after seeing an ad on streaming platforms, and 94% are more likely to make a purchase from a brand they engaged with across multiple devices.

Key findings:

Ad-supported streaming audiences are highly engaged when watching streaming, which is winning viewers’ attention over social video. 92% of ad-supported viewers report being engaged when watching streaming content, as compared to 62% of social media users, who say user-generated videos on social media don’t hold their attention very long.

Viewers in Southeast Asia see the value exchange in streaming ads. 79% of ad-supported streamers are comfortable providing demographics about themselves if it results in a more relevant ad experience.

Streaming TV’s relevant and personalised environment generates better outcomes. Nine out of ten ad-supported streamers are more likely to pay attention to ads that are relevant to their interests.

Ad-supported viewers place a high level of trust in the ads they see on streaming platforms and nearly half indicated they buy the product or service advertised.

As streamers push for “hyper-local” stories in a bid to secure subscribers in domestic Southeast Asian markets, the accompanying near-instant, global distribution of shows on these platforms brings new opportunities.

India is the Fastest Growth Market for Connected TV

India is poised to be the third-largest TV advertising market by 2024. According to the FICCI-EY report, there would be 40 million addressable TV homes in India by 2025. Connected TV ownership in India has skyrocketed.

In India, digital video has skyrocketed exponentially in the new stay-at-home paradigm. Streaming services such as Netflix, Prime, and Disney went from niche to mainstream. Video entrenched deeply on social platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Tiktok. According to the eMarketer, in many countries, digital video has overtaken broadcast TV. 

With supply proximity, faster broadband and affordable TV hardware, mobile-first Indian consumers are rapidly adopting connected TVs. Market leader Xiaomi leads with 14.3% and Samsung, the global leader, is placed second in India at 13.1%, followed by LG with 8%, OnePlus with 7% and Sony at 5%.

Southeast Asia is charging ahead at full steam, having added 60M new digital consumers to the internet economy since the pandemic started. The top 20 online video platforms will account for two-thirds of total APAC online video revenues in 2022. 

The streaming industry is projected to reach $5 billion by 2023, and it's predicted that India will become one of the top five global CTV markets worth an estimated value of $823 million by EOY 2022.

While CTV viewing has increased by 81% globally, adoption in India is still in its infancy, but did grow by an impressive 31% in 2021. India is still largely an untapped market with enormous opportunities. By 2025 there will be 80 million connected TV households.

With supply proximity, faster broadband and affordable TV hardware, mobile-first Indian consumers are rapidly shifting towards connected TV.

Singapore Attitudes to Connected TV During COVID-19

Connected TV consumption is on the rise in Singapore, with new research showing that 43% of Singapore consumers are spending more time watching CTV content since the start of the pandemic. 

As the pandemic has rapidly accelerated the growth of CTV, it’s more important than ever before that brands understand and embrace the medium. Almost 43% of Singapore consumers have tried a streaming service.

Key findings include: 

• 87% of the Singapore population now have access to CTV content through various devices, with 42% now owning three or more devices; 

• 77% of Singaporeans say they would prefer to watch their favourite TV programmes for free with ads rather than pay for an ad-free experience; 

• 77% of Singapore consumers plan to reduce the amount they pay for TV services — 34% plan to switch to free-ad-supported services, 33% plan to reduce the number of paid for streaming services they use, and 29% plan to cancel their cable TV; 

• More relevant targeting and greater personalisation mean CTV ads performs better than the TV average in Singapore across key indicators. Compared to the average TV viewer in Singapore, after seeing an ad on TV, ad-supported CTV users in Singapore are: 

• • 13% more likely to tell a friend about a brand;  
  • 14% more likely to buy a product;  
  • 6% more likely to visit a store or website;  
  • 7% more likely to search for a brand; 
  • 9% more likely to have an improved opinion of the brand.

COVID-19 Drives Connected TV Advertising Demand

Work from Home

Since the onset of COVID-19, increased digitalisation has been an undeniable trend. The time spent on TV viewing has almost tripled. What’s more, linear TV viewers are clearly shifting to CTV.

High CTV access and usage is not unique to the current health crisis. Trends have been headed upward for some time. As of March 2020, Nielsen data showed that 76% of U.S. homes had at least one connected device. But because access doesn’t always equate to usage.

The increase in viewing in the living room speaks to the growth of co-viewing as consumers choose to watch content together—especially during a global pandemic, which has likely provoked consumers to lean into their families and loved ones during the health crisis.

While co-viewing levels have come down from their peaks during the week of March 23, they remain higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic for most demographics.

The changes in consumer behavior are leading to a shift in advertisers’ and publishers’ behavior as well. Publishers and ad tech companies offer brands the ability to switch creatives quickly and provide data-driven insights into how different messaging is resonating with consumers. As a result, advertisers shift to CTV ads and pour more ad budgets into the ecosystem.