OTT Or Linear TV – Which One Of Them Matters More For Your Business?

This is for those who consider OTT the biggest technological breakthrough of the 21st century.

Traditional television is still very much relevant and you would be surprised to know that it is larger than the over-the-top platforms you come across every day.

When you talk about OTT and linear TV advertisements, both have their importance, audience, impact, and relevance.

The question is which one you should choose for your business. Should you go for a mix of both of them? Should you prefer one over the other?

Let’s discuss it in detail:

What Do You Understand By Linear TV?

Linear TV is your traditional television. This is where your viewers come in direct contact with your traditional entertainment content.

This is where they subscribe to a cable or Satellite TV service and enjoy over-the-air broadcast television. It consists of TV series, movies, reality TV, sports, music, and a lot more. This is the way traditional consumers consume entertainment content.

They can only watch the programmed TV series or movies that a broadcaster’s programming schedule comprises.

If they want to watch their favorite content, they have to tune into a specific TV channel at a specific time slot.

And What Do You Understand By OTT?

OTT is your over-the-top television platform. It refers to all the content that is delivered to your customers or viewers through the internet and various live-streaming formats. Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Apple TV+ are a few popular examples.

The most common devices that your viewers use to consume this entertainment content are their smartphones and tablets.

They also subscribe to these websites to view the same content on their computers and laptops. There is no involvement of your typical cable TV or satellite service.

Now Coming To The Question Of Which Platform Matters For Your Business

As an enterprise, it is important for you to target your viewers using both these platforms. When it comes to advertising your products and services, you need to understand the reach of both linear and over-the-top platforms.

Experts say that linear TV is still highly relevant. This means that if you invest in linear tv advertising, you will still be making huge bucks.

Linear TV is highly popular because of live events, sports and gaming events, reality TV shows, and a wide variety of easily accessible entertainment with just a tap of a button.

Your audience does not need to figure out which online platform to pick or which streaming app to download.

Linear TV is still quite dominant because of its negligible learning curve and for the simple reason that there is a large chunk of the population that prefers the convenience that it offers.

There is also the fact that your viewers do not have to invest in new infrastructure or set up new devices to view any kind of entertainment content.

While a major portion of your viewers would show the willingness to adapt to a different or perhaps new technology, the traditional viewer is still very much stuck to Linear TV platforms.

Useful Statistics To Know About

Do you know that in the US alone, more than 70% of the population watches traditional television? When you talk about the weekends, this number jumps to a staggering 89%.

This is the viewership of linear TV across the country and it gets emulated more or less in every other continent globally. You should also know that close to 84% of your viewers watching linear TV advertisements are 35 years or older.

This means that they earn well and are probably well-established in their lives with a stable income. What does that mean for your business?

It means that you have an audience that does not only have the power to purchase but also to purchase regularly and repeatedly from your brand. Want more statistics?

You should know that the 2022 Oscars ceremony garnered more than 16.6 million views on TV. The same year, Super Bowl attracted 112 million viewers.

OTT – Why Is It So Appealing?

OTT services are very appealing because they give viewers full freedom and control over the content they consume. Besides the fact that it is all high-definition content, it is very much convenient as well.

Whether it is in the form of movies or TV shows, they can customize their viewing experience as per their needs and watch whatever content they like as per their schedule.

Brands and retailers are aware of this and this has driven them to come up with promotional content that is highly customized to the various screen sizes their customers use to consume this content.

Also, it allows them to target viewers who like to consume content on the go and also the population that can’t find the time to watch television shows at a predetermined time in a particular location.

Right now, you can say that close to 25% of households in the U.S. will gladly cancel their cable subscriptions by the end of next year.

Research suggests that the OTT market might cross the $200 billion mark before 2025. This is set to make this industry the most significant source of entertainment for the whole world.

Needless to say, it also gained a lot more popularity ever since the COVID-19 pandemic started.

Does This Development Impact The Growth And Future Of Linear TV?

Not really because several of the movies and TV series that have found an audience on OTT are now being telecast on linear tv as well.

And because it is more convenient and has a much larger viewership, a major chunk of the population in general still doesn’t want to embrace cloud TV/OTT.

The Choice Is Clear

Regardless of the fact that OTT is getting increasingly popular across audiences of all ages, linear TV is still a relevant and ruling entertainment platform.

While it is not hidden from anyone that over-the-top platforms are definitely a great choice for advertisers, traditional television still seems to be their first choice.

And to top it all, the audience usually perceives linear TV advertisers as being more trustworthy.

It adds a lot of credibility to your brand which translates into better traction with your audience and more sales in the future.