Over half of U.S. consumers now solely stream content

Inscape’s Q3 ’23 Market Trends Report Finds Over Half of Consumers “Solely Stream” Content

Inscape, a leading provider of currency-grade smart TV data, has released new insights into continued consumer fragmentation and shifts in behavior by leveraging its first-party viewing data from more than 22 million internet connected TVs.

Tracking these changes in media behavior across streaming and linear is crucial to all facets of the industry – from media sellers to marketers alike – as they seek to create and successfully achieve individual business goals based on holistic, trusted insights.

According to Inscape’s recent Q3 2023 TV Market Trends report, the average number of apps has doubled since Q4 2021, with consumers in Q3 2023 using an average of 5.4 for each smart TV.

The wide adoption of smart TVs, and the apps that live on them, is also helping fuel a fundamental change in how people consume content – and there seems to be no signs of slowing. According to Inscape, in Q3 2023, an astounding 94% of total streaming time was driven by viewers who only (64.6%) or mostly (29%) streamed on their smart TVs!

Looking at the the share of connected TV viewing across all inputs (streaming, cable/satellite/OTA) from Q4 2021 to Q3 2023, the percentage of viewers who only stream content has increased from 45% to 54%, while the percentage who only use cable/satellite/OTA has decreased from 9% to 5%.

“Marketers should really take note of these shifts,” said Ken Norcross, Vice President, Data Licensing and Strategy, VIZIO/Inscape. “With more than half of smart TV viewers not reachable by traditional cable/satellite/OTA advertising, it reinforces the fact that brands should prioritize diversification across marketing efforts and lean into data that will give them the best decision-making ability to do so.”