'Binge Viewing' Won't Starve Linear TV

[Commentary] DVRs were supposed to kill linear TV, and in spite of the fact that penetration continues to increase, overall time-shifting activity has remained constant. Nielsen's most recent Cross Platform Report demonstrated that 87% of broadcast viewing is still done live. Broadband video was also supposed to kill linear TV, but the average PC-streaming session is still only a few minutes in length. To be fair, we are starting to see evidence that young adults are spending less time watching TV than they were a few years ago, but it's hardly a mass exodus. And it's definitely not because they don't care about TV. In fact, SocialGuide reports that in the month of January alone, there were nearly 100 million tweets related to TV programming, all generated within three hours of each telecast, if not during the telecast itself. Viewers want to see what will happen next and comment on it in real time. Nowhere is this more evident than with live tentpole events like the Super Bowl, the Grammys and the Academy Awards, which generate millions of tweets as they happen. Social media is the ultimate virtual watercooler, and spoilers are a very real risk if you are not in the know.

[Hughes is senior VP-audience analysis practice lead at Magna Global]