Audience Insights: We Need to Recap the Year…Stat!

In one of the countless recaps of 2021 that have begun to flood airwaves, social media sites, the blogosphere, and various other parts of the communications ecosystem, Associated Press writer Leanne Italie lamented the year that almost has been, writing the following:

“The pandemic, politics, pervasive anxiety over the climate and the economy. Did 2021 leave us any time to ponder anything else?”

We here in the Audience Insights department of the Cox Media blog believe the answer to that question is a resounding, “Yes!”

And so we offer now a numeric look at 2021, with a baker’s dozen collection of figures we like to classify as Insightful Insights and Other Observations:

• #1 – Cable’s rank among all TV viewing sources, according to Nielsen’s The Gauge, a monthly “macroanalysis” of video consumption across major TV delivery platforms. Throughout the second half of 2021, Cable maintained an approximate 10-point share advantage over Streaming, which has now overtaken Broadcast for the #2 spot. Cox Media’s TV solutions offer local marketers access to the best in Cable networks and programs!
• 699 Million – The average number of VOD ad impressions per day in the U.S., according to VAB analysis of Canoe data for Q3 2021. Unlike traditional TV viewership trends, VOD activity is highest on the weekends, making TV Everywhere a key component of any comprehensive video campaign.
• +38% – The year-over-year increase in total ad impressions within streaming video platforms, according to Q3 2021 analysis from Conviva. That means more opportunities for advertisers to reach more viewers with TV Everywhere solutions!
• +6.4% – The projected increase in Local Advertising Expenditures for 2022, according to Borrell Associates. Digital advertising is expected to grow 9.1%, compared to 1.3% growth for traditional media. Cox Media can help marketers develop customized strategies across multiple advertising platforms!
• 104 Million – The combined number of annual viewers, on average, for College Football’s “New Year’s Six” bowl games and National Championship game over the past five years, according to Spectrum Reach analysis of information from SportsMediaWatch. By comparison, the Super Bowl during that same span averaged 102.2 million viewers. Cox Media is your advertising home for this year’s biggest bowl games!
• 58 Million – The total number of “sports-viewing” U.S. TV households in Q3 2021, according to data from Altman Solon and MoffettNathanson Research reported by MediaPost. That’s an increase of 2.6 million homes vs. Q3 2019.
• 7 Million – The approximate number of TV ads tied to U.S. Senate and House races during the 2020 election cycle – by far the highest total in the past five cycles, according to Kantar/CMAG data analyzed by the Wesleyan Media Project.
• 469 – The combined number of U.S. Senate (34) and House (435) seats up for election in November 2022, according to Ballotpedia. Cox Media offers political advertisers the opportunity to build advertising strategies that leverage audience-based planning insights connecting voting behavior with viewing habits!
• 11x – According to Pinterest, the two-year increase in searches related to “luxury laundry room ideas” – perhaps another sign of more people spending more time in their homes.
• 99.5% – The anticipated Internet penetration among Generation Z by the end of 2025, according to eMarketer. That outpaces the expected 96.9% access rate among millennials.
• 210 – The total number of U.S. television markets, based on Nielsen’s Designated Market Area (DMA) definitions – as well as Comscore’s new TV Market definitions that launched in 2021.
• 54 – The total number of Nielsen metered DMAs bracing for the planned integration of broadband-only (BBO) homes into local measurement as of January 2022. The list includes eight of Cox Media’s primary TV markets: Las Vegas, New Orleans, Norfolk, Oklahoma City, Phoenix, Providence, San Diego, and Tulsa. Visit our Audience Insights archive for more information on the BBO change.
• 10 – The number of Cox Media advertising regions across the country, each staffed with experienced Marketing Analysts ready to dive into the data and help marketers make sense of all the facts and figures critical to local campaign success.

There you have our look at some of the statistics that have potential to shape the media and advertising landscape in the year ahead. Questions on any of the information we included in our list? Have a favorite media-related statistic we didn’t include? If so, fill out the form on the right side of this page to let us know!