Viewers will tolerate more ad time during online video

Recent research has shown that most people who watch television shows online aren't necessarily doing so to avoid advertising. In fact, it appears they would be happy to watch more ad content during online video than they currently do.

by Helen Leggatt

The report showed that of the 2,000 people involved, 71% identified themselves as television-only viewers, while 29% said they watched their favorite programs both on television and online.

However, the main reason for watching television content online isn't to avoid or skip the advertising. comScore found that just 38% of those that go online to watch video do so to avoid watching ads.

In fact, the new report, "Blurring the Landscape, How TV is Merging Digital and Traditional Media", found that those who watch television online would tolerate more than the current average of four minutes of ad time per hour of online programming. While considerably less than the average 16 minutes of ad time inserted into the average television hour, most would tolerate six to seven minutes per each online hour.

The study revealed the main reasons for watching television shows online are to catch up on those they have missed (71%) and for convenience (67%).