Television measurement systems tied to a single smart TV manufacturer, device or service may be missing a significant share of viewing that happens elsewhere in the home, according to new research from the Advertising Research Foundation.
The group’s latest report, called “TV Deconstructed: Behind Closed Doors,” found 63 percent of U.S. households with both living room and bedroom televisions use different TV brands in those rooms. That can leave Automatic Content Recognition data tied to one set blind to viewing on the other.
The fragmentation extends to connection methods. Among homes using a particular cable service in the living room, 62 percent use a different connection in the bedroom. For households using a specific connected-media device in the living room, 60 percent switch to another connection method in the bedroom.
Bedroom TVs are also more important than their secondary status might suggest.
Nearly two-thirds of U.S. TV households have at least one television in a bedroom, and in 15 percent of households, the bedroom set is the most-watched TV in the home, according to ARF data. Viewing also shifts later in the day: Bedroom TVs account for 27 percent of viewing between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m., rising to 34 percent between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m., equal to the living room share, ARF said in its study.
Streaming is especially prominent in bedrooms, with 29 percent of prime-time streaming viewing occurring on a bedroom TV.
The report attempts to put a spotlight on fragmentation across TV and platforms — not just in how consumers watch shows, movies and live events, but how that viewing is measured as well. That complicates audience measurement, attribution and frequency management for advertisers, ARF proclaimed.
The data is intended to serve as a wake-up call for marketers who rely primarily on data from automated content recognition systems, like those operated by manufacturers like Roku, Samsung, LG, Vizio and Amazon.
The full report as released by ARF last week is available to view by clicking or tapping here (PDF download).
