OMG APAC’s CTV research: 87% of solo viewers still multitask when streaming videos

Video streaming behaviours differ when consumers watch alone and with others. According to Omnicom Media Group Asia Pacific’s (OMG APAC) latest research, ‘Connecting Connected TV’, the incidence of distracted viewing while doing chores or consuming other content declines by 13% when one watches with others.

OMG APAC’s research, conducted in partnership with market research platform CINT, surveyed 11,200 online video content streamers aged 18 to 64 across 14 markets from 30 October to 29 November 2024. The research covers four key areas: viewing behaviour, subscriptions, co-viewing, and attitudes towards advertising on Connected TV (CTV).

With the rise of streaming services, more original content, and the growing affordability of smart TVs, CTV is becoming a channel that advertisers in APAC should keep an eye on.

As such, OMG APAC’s ‘Connecting Connected TV’ research aims to provide our clients and advertisers with a deeper understanding of the CTV landscape to navigate potential opportunities and challenges. The research also features additional data and insights from Google, GWI, Samba TV, Samsung Ads, Teads, and The Trade Desk.

Nina Fedorczuk, Chief Enablement Officer, OMG APAC, said, “The recent evolution in online video consumption is fundamentally re-shaping how people consume content and how brands and agencies engage with them. Despite the ongoing yet seemingly small changes in tech advancements and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), the scale and impact of CTV and online video consumption should not be overlooked.

While valuable data is available from OEMs, OTTs, and digital partners, it is still important to look at the landscape holistically. This helps us better understand those who are consuming it as well as their motivations and perceptions. Our latest research will be crucial in helping marketers uncover the various consumption behaviours, preferences, and attitudes towards advertising on CTV.”

For brands looking to invest in CTV, here are five key things to take note of.

1. Solo viewers tend to be more distracted

Solo viewing, which tends to happen on weekdays, contributes to the trend of distracted viewing. This is evident in Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, the Philippines, and South Korea, where the likelihood of solo viewers consuming unrelated content while streaming alone is above 40%.

Viewing behaviours also differ on weekdays and weekends. Weekday streaming is a transient habit, with viewers watching videos at school or work and during their daily commute. The transient behaviour is also linked to solo viewing, as viewers might prefer to watch alone since they are always on the move.

Meanwhile, streaming during weekends is relatively sedentary, and viewers tend to settle down during these occasions, e.g. watching while eating at home, at a restaurant, or even at a social gathering.

That said, OMG APAC’s research found that solo viewers in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea have deliberate sit-down viewing occasions, such as in the living room; interestingly, these markets spend relatively more time compared to the region watching scheduled programming on an average day.

Smartphones are the device of choice (81%) for solo viewers as their usual viewing occasions, such as commuting or watching at work, require portability and ease of access. On the other hand, CTVs are the preferred device (55%) during co-viewing due to their bigger screens.

Unlike smartphones, which are transient, CTVs require viewers to sit down and watch, making them ideal for intentional bonding moments between friends, roommates, and spouses, especially on weekends. In fact, 54% of those who watch with their peers on weekends have scheduled viewing occasions compared to 31% of total viewers.

These behaviours point to the importance of the type of audio used in ads. Marketers are advised to leverage audio that is effective in capturing consumers’ attention even when they are multitasking or distracted. Additionally, adopting a cross-channel experience would be helpful in targeting consumers who are multitasking.

2. Viewers become more receptive to advertising; more communal decision-making on weekends

Viewers who watch online video with large families are more receptive to ads (65%) than solo viewers (53%). Additionally, respondents who watch with their own families (62-66%) are more likely to consider purchasing the product after seeing the ad on streaming platforms, compared with solo viewers (50%).

The change in viewing behaviour and attitudes based on who they view with also extends to the types of genres consumers are willing to watch. The ambulant nature of solo viewing causes individuals to seek out easy-to-consume content, such as Comedy and Action. This allows them to keep up with the content even when they are distracted by external stimuli. But while these may be the top genres across the board, there are still some market nuances.

For example, countries with more ‘deliberate’ solo viewers, such as Australia, New Zealand, and Japan, also have a strong preference for Documentaries. On the other hand, Horror, Fantasy, and Sci-Fi are also more popular in markets such as Hong Kong, India, Taiwan, and Vietnam, where there may be a greater prevalence of locally made content in these genres.

These preferences change during co-viewing sessions, with respondents less likely to default to their go-to genres. This is further exacerbated among viewers who watch with their peers, who consume a diverse mix of content, including Reality Shows, Live Sports, and Travel, in addition to the usual offerings.

Additionally, those who watch with children are less likely to watch videos that may include age-inappropriate content, such as Documentaries, History, Horror, Romance, Thriller, and True Crime.

This openness to new genres can be attributed to the fact that decision-making is more communal on weekends, with about one in two viewers sharing content decision-making with their spouse/partner, family member(s), or peer group(s).

Interestingly, decision-making for grown-ups differs depending on the groups they watch with. For example, adults take turns deciding when watching with their families, while there is collective decision-making when watching with friends.

Diving further into the trend of communal decision-making, OMG APAC’s research found that this tendency is more prevalent in countries with larger co-viewing groups, such as India, Indonesia, the Philippines, or countries where TV viewing is a more deliberate or scheduled activity, such as Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea.

With various factors affecting the nature of viewing occasions, e.g. unplanned or communal decision-making, marketers should consider A/B testing their campaigns and targeting multiple viewing occasions, including commuting, staying at home, or sitting at a café. This enables brands to cater to the different audience groups and ensure they can capture audiences across several moments.

3. APAC viewers have 11 subscriptions on average, and only four are used regularly

On average, APAC viewers have 11 subscriptions, but only 44% of these have been used in the past four weeks. According to OMG APAC’s research, China and Taiwan show the lowest conversion (38%) from having access to a subscription to using it in the past four weeks.

On the other hand, viewers in New Zealand and Japan are most likely in the region to make the most out of their subscriptions, having used three out of every five subscriptions in the past month.

That said, access and usage vary depending on the platform itself. In the region, YouTube, Netflix, and Prime Video enjoy the highest awareness and subscribership due to early mover advantage, with YouTube leading the pack, likely due to the lower cost of entry. These three platforms also have the highest retention rates in the region due to the wide content offerings.

Apple TV+ rises to the top in terms of loyalty as it is the platform used the most often by viewers who have used it in the past four weeks. This is possibly due to the prestige and exclusivity surrounding original content on Apple TV+ or the weekly release of episodes as opposed to bingeable releases.

Overall, video sharing and OTT platforms form the top five platforms APAC viewers have access to. For some markets, such as Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, online broadcast platforms are also in the mix.

Not all platforms serve the same purpose. Some might be better for awareness, while others can be used to build brand affinity. As such, brands are advised to focus on quality rather than quantity by choosing the platforms that are most relevant to their campaign objectives.

4. On average, each APAC viewer spends about US$19 in total on their subscriptions

On average, each viewer in APAC pays about US$19 in total for their subscriptions, which translates to approximately US$3.73 per paid subscription. Those in Australia (US$25) and Singapore (US$24) spend the most per month and are also the markets with the most number of paid subscriptions.

That said, when subscription count is factored in, New Zealand and Japan end up paying the most. This shows that the viewers are selective about the content they engage with and prioritise quality over quantity. Those are also the two markets where subscribers make the most out of their subscriptions, as illustrated above in point #3.

On the other hand, viewers in India, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand spend the least per platform. Possible reasons are the affordable pricing tiers available in those markets and account sharing.

A notable point is the large discrepancy between Average and Median spend in Singapore, New Zealand, the Philippines, and Thailand. Such discrepancies happen when an outlier pulls the average up, which can imply varying willingness to spend among consumers.

Overall, APAC consumers can sustain an average of 11 subscriptions for two reasons: free and shared subscriptions. Free subscriptions mainly comprise video-sharing platforms, including YouTube, Bilibili, and nicovideo, and surpass ad-free and ad-assisted subscriptions in APAC, with China, Australia, and Taiwan, in particular, over-indexing on free subscriptions.

APAC viewers have about five paid subscriptions but about three of these subscriptions are shared with family and friends. However, there are exceptions among local markets, with respondents in China, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Japan having a higher percentage of paid own subscriptions. Incidence of these subscriptions can be impacted by factors including consumer confidence and solo households.

Although APAC viewers do not own all their paid subscriptions, they are considering adding more to the mix. In India and Thailand, viewers plan to upgrade and add more subscriptions. Meanwhile, those in Singapore, Indonesia, and the Philippines also intend to increase the number of subscriptions they have.

Overall, the research found that 83% of subscriptions will be maintained, increased, or added as more international platforms become widely available.

Moving forward, brands will continue to witness growth in the CTV and streaming space. APAC’s streaming scene comprises international and local players, which are now producing more localised content to hook audiences across markets. Also, APAC’s CTV space presents a major opportunity for OEMs like Samsung, LG, and Hisense, as the region dominates retail shares and surpasses global category growth[2]. 

5. Ads on streaming platforms impact decision-making

Overall, seven out of 10 viewers recall seeing ads on video streaming platforms. In particular, viewers recall seeing skippable (36%), first-screen exposure (33%), and home screen (32%) ads the most. As a result, 65% of respondents claim that they are more likely to remember a product if they see it advertised on video content streaming platforms.

According to OMG APAC’s research, 67% of viewers prefer to see ads from different brands. This coupled with increased brand recall and personalised targeting makes online video an ideal tool for brand discovery. This allows viewers to be exposed to new products or brands while maintaining the continuity of the viewing experience.

Aside from that, online video remains relevant further down the consumer journey. Although only one in two viewers say that they are likely to click on those ads, CTV presents various other opportunities for cross-channel exposure. For example, ads in online video can include QR codes as a call-to-action, allowing viewers to move down the funnel without taking their eyes off the video.

Moving forward, measurement is expected to become more precise in the near future as the online video landscape continues to grow, and OEMs and software companies refine their technologies. This enables advertisers to capture multi-touch attribution with more accuracy and assess brand safety on CTV.

To capture consumers’ attention with streaming ads, brands can create campaigns and define KPIs that are aligned with the content and channel. Brands are also advised to maintain an omnichannel strategy that builds awareness and affinity for their brand via online video, while providing the option to convert via other channels.

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