Background
From the start of 2020, TV ad impressions have been up compared to 2019. And that became even more apparent once COVID-19 and audiences were more confined to their homes than they have been in decades. Despite the pandemic eliminating live sports and various tentpole events, consumers are watching more TV than they were last year.
Key Takeaways
- Office and school closures created more time at home, and more time in front of TVs starting around week 11 or 12, which led to an immediate jump in impressions despite a lack of sports
- New household schedules meant new shows and dayparts generating impressions where they may not have before (due to work/school schedules or as replacement programming)
- The summer months typically mean fewer impressions, but limitations in many states were counteracting that in June
Why It Matters
Without live sports, impressions still went up as audiences settled into new routines and increased time in front of TVs. What was different, however, was the fact that these viewers were no longer watching the same thing. “Scatter” became the new premium programming, to some extent, and those without the data to understand where audiences migrated to were left without the intelligence to advertise as effectively.
As impressions remain up, you don’t have to miss out. Check out iSpot’s first-half report today: