• Research Finds CTV More Effective at Driving Key Consumer Behaviours  
• 77% Of UK Consumers Prefer To Watch TV Shows For Free With Ads Than Pay To Watch Ad-Free 
• 57% Plan To Reduce Amount They Pay For TV 

Video advertising platform Unruly today (26th August) released a study that investigates consumer attitudes and consumption habits around connected TV (CTV) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Unruly, which is part of Tremor International, surveyed nearly 2,562 UK and US consumers in July 2020 for this study.  

CTV consumption is on the rise in the UK, with previous research by Unruly showing that 54% of UK consumers are spending more time watching CTV content since the start of the pandemic. But as CTV usage continues to accelerate, marketers are trailing behind with their media plans. 

Unruly’s study looks closer at the UK CTV landscape five months after the global outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

One of the biggest takeaways from the research is that more relevant targeting and greater personalisation mean CTV ads performs better than the UK TV average across key indicators. Compared to the average UK TV viewer, after seeing an ad on TV, UK ad-supported CTV users are: 

o    55% more likely to tell a friend about a brand;  

o    42% more likely to buy a product;  

o    44% more likely to visit a store or website;  

o    47% more likely to search for a brand; 

o    39% more likely to have an improved opinion of the brand. 

As the pandemic has rapidly accelerated the growth of CTV, it’s more important than ever before that brands understand and embrace the medium. Almost a quarter of UK consumers have tried a new ad-supported streaming service since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Of those, 74% say they will continue to do so.  

Additional key findings include: 

·         82% of the UK population now have access to CTV content through various devices; 

·         77% of UK consumers say they would prefer to watch their favourite TV programmes for free with ads rather than pay for an ad-free experience; 

·         57% of UK consumers plan to reduce the amount they pay for TV services — 27% plan to reduce the number of paid for streaming services they use, and a fifth (21%) plan to cancel their cable TV; 

·         Over half (54%) of Brits are actively seeking ways to watch TV programmes and films free of charge. 

“UK consumers’ pivot to CTV is an opportunity for brands to reach audiences at scale in a highly targeted, personalised way that has, until now, not been possible,” said Rebecca Waring, Global VP of Insights and Solutions at Unruly. “Following our acquisition by Tremor International, Unruly has shifted from an outstream video specialist to become one of the biggest video platforms in the world. From this unique position, we can help advertisers seize on the opportunities CTV presents like never before. Together with our sister brand Tremor Video, Unruly offers advertisers the most cutting-edge CTV advertising solutions.” 

To view the full study, click here.