Samsung Ads recently published the fifth edition of its annual Behind the Screens research, examining how streaming habits are evolving across Europe and what that means for advertisers.
New Digital Age spoke with Matt Bryan, Director of Analytics and Insights at Samsung Ads, about the research findings, audience fragmentation and why the TV home screen is becoming an increasingly valuable touchpoint for brands…
This is the fifth edition of Behind the Screens. What were the headline findings?
Streaming has become the new normal. Across Europe’s five largest markets, streaming has overtaken linear television as the dominant viewing method. That creates significant challenges for advertisers because audiences are increasingly fragmented across multiple platforms.
From a consumer perspective, you could argue they’ve never had it better. People have access to an incredible range of content from around the world. But the sheer volume of choice has created a new challenge: deciding what to watch has become harder.
One of the main findings from the research is the growing importance of the TV home screen. It’s the point where that fragmentation comes back together before viewers disappear into individual streaming platforms or gaming environments. It’s becoming a pivotal moment in the viewing journey.
Did anything in the research surprise you?
One of the more interesting findings was that younger audiences actually take longer than average to decide what to watch. They can spend up to seven minutes choosing content, compared with around five minutes for the average viewer.
Younger viewers have grown up with an app-first television experience. They’re constantly moving between different services, so navigating that ecosystem and making viewing decisions has become a genuine challenge.
What do you think advertisers should take away from the report?
The conversation shouldn’t simply be about streaming versus linear. The real story is how fluid viewing behaviour has become.
People are constantly moving between different services in much the same way they switch between apps on their phones. The challenge for advertisers is understanding how to reach audiences when they’re constantly moving between platforms.
That’s why measurement and data have become so important. Without them, it’s incredibly difficult to piece together the customer journey across fragmented viewing environments.
What are advertisers asking Samsung Ads for most often?
The biggest challenge clients talk to us about is understanding reach across multiple streaming platforms and, more importantly, measuring it.
So much has changed over the past decade as streaming has grown and more services have introduced ad-supported tiers. Advertisers are still trying to understand effectiveness across that increasingly fragmented landscape and how to build campaigns with confidence.
What are Samsung Ads’ priorities over the next 12 months?
One of the biggest developments for us is that the TV home screen is now open to brands.
Historically, that space was primarily used by streaming and gaming partners. Now brands have the opportunity to engage audiences before they enter those more fragmented viewing environments, making the home screen an increasingly valuable advertising opportunity.
What has the response from brands been so far?
We’ve seen particularly strong results with automotive brands, but the opportunity extends well beyond that sector.
Connected TV is evolving from being viewed purely as a brand-building channel into one that can also deliver measurable performance. Our brand studies show it can influence lower-funnel metrics and move consumers closer to purchase.
Across a number of studies we’ve seen purchase intent increase by around 11%. We’ve also seen strong results in categories such as fast food and food delivery, where performance marketing is a major priority.
You’re also looking at combining TV and mobile data. Why is that important?
TV and mobile behaviour are often discussed separately, but together they create a much richer understanding of how people move through their day.
Bringing those datasets together allows us to build more meaningful audience segments while also giving advertisers a better understanding of how television fits alongside mobile behaviour throughout the customer journey.
What role will data play in the future of connected TV?
Data will be the foundation for everything.
Combined with experimentation, it will become increasingly important in understanding how different channels work together and how campaigns perform across them. The industry still needs better measurement, but as long as it’s done in a permissioned and privacy-conscious way, data will be fundamental to solving the fragmentation challenge.
