Streaming overtakes TV Everywhere in US

Streaming services have overtaken TV Everywhere in the US.

TV Everywhere (TVE) – the model where access to streaming video content from a TV channel requires users to authenticate themselves as current subscribers to the channel via their pay TV provider – has seen its prominence drop as cord-cutting continues to accelerate in the country.

According to a new report from Comcast-owned ad business Freewheel, streaming services made up 45% of non-linear ad views in 2021. This is greater than TVE, Set-Top Box Video on Demand (STB VOD) and Virtual MVPDs (vMVPDs) as a distribution platform.

Connected TV made up 60% of total ad views in the US during the period, with Roku and Amazon Fire TV being the market leaders with 43% and 26% of CTV views respectively.

But while some aspects of the market are changing, one thing that remains stable is the dominance of entertainment programming. Viewing of entertainment programming from streaming services like NBCUniversal’s Peacock and WarnerMedia’s HBO Max – which recently launched its ad-supported tier – made up 92% of ad views. 

Comcast Advertising VP of Marketing James Rothwell, said: “The first half of 2021 was an interesting and pivotal time in terms of viewership trends and how the industry responded. One example was the rise in programmatic transactions, as buyers sought greater flexibility, in this year’s upfronts. As these new consumer behaviors and advertising tactics become habitual, we’re expecting many of these trends to continue fueling the pace and development of new technologies, innovations and ways of reaching and engaging viewers.”