Nielsen finds 5% lift on broadcast networks

The lift that out-of-home viewing gives to news and sports programming has been documented, but according to a new report by Nielsen, other types of shows on broadcast, cable and Spanish-language networks are also getting a significant boost.

For the first six months of the year, Nielsen looked at contestant competitions, game shows, comedy entertainment and audience participation shows and found that the broadcast networks that air those shows saw an average increase in their audiences of 5% which viewing at work, at a friend’s house, in a doctor’s office and other locations are included.

Among adults 18 to 49, the lift was 8%, or about 115,000 people per telecast.

“As consumers continue to watch content on their own terms, especially the core media buying demo, OOH viewing offers networks and agencies additional audiences to consider as part of their media negotiation process,” Nielsen said.

News and sports programmers including ESPN and CNN already have included out-of-home viewing in the audiences they sell to advertisers.

For the competition and comedy programming on broadcast studied in the new report, women represent 59% of out of home viewing, compared to 63% of in-home viewing.

On cable, out-of-home viewing bumps up viewers in the 18 to 49 demo by 4%, with some shows seeing gains of as much as 22%.

On Spanish-langauge broadcast networks, out of home viewing provided a double digit lift to these types of entertainment shows in the first half of the year. Among adults 18-49, the top rated quiz show saw a 12.7% lift and the top comedy entertainment show increased its audience by 13.1%.

“Among Spanish-language networks, OOH offers an unprecedented opportunity to reach younger viewers and those that matter most to advertisers,” Nielsen said.