CTV Viewing Time Is Catching Up to Linear

2 Min Read

Every week, new data reveals that linear is taking some hits — and this week is no exception. A report from Samba TV found that traditional TV viewership took a 4% nosedive in the second half of 2023, as compared to the year before. That dip is giving Connected TV — which had a 23% YoY increase in viewership in Q3 of 2023 and 18% increase in Q4 — a chance to catch up to traditional TV’s decades-long head start. 

And if that weren’t enough, Fox, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Disney just dropped a bombshell by teaming up for a new streaming service offering sports content. Historically a stronghold for linear TV, sports has been slowly but surely making its way over to streaming — with other recent headlines like Netflix’s acquisition of WWE rights speeding up the process. Ultimately, a unified sports streaming service from all the media heavy hitters suggests that this is the beginning of the end for traditional TV in this battle for viewership.

Connected TV in the News

Walmart in Talks To Buy TV Maker Vizio 
Wall Street Journal
The retail giant is in talks to buy smart television-manufacturer Vizio for more than $2 billion — a move that would give Walmart more places to sell ads and pitch shoppers on goods.

Can Marketers Pick a Big Game Winner? Here’s How They Did
MNTN Research
The dust has settled in the Las Vegas desert and Kansas City has claimed a second title in as many years with their overtime win over San Francisco. And who among us knew they’d do it? Marketers, that’s who.

Netflix’s Threat Isn’t in Hollywood. It’s YouTube
The Ankler
The popular narrative among entertainment press and pundits in 2019 was that Netflix would swallow the entertainment world and become all TV. The thing is, it’s just not really true.