TV is in decline, but successors remain in doubt | WARC
Reach depends on age
YouTube’s coverage, key among 16-24 audiences, builds reach more quickly and with a narrower range of results than Facebook. By comparison, the social network’s reach curves are extremely varied, though this is an indication of the huge variation in the kind of Facebook ads that can be bought. Over 45s, meanwhile are far better reached by TV.
In short, TV, YouTube, and Facebook all have the potential to find similar levels of reach under 45s. TV is, however, “unrivalled” among over 45s.
The value of an impression
Simply, impressions are not created equal. Though it is harder to measure TV impressions, the medium is far more likely to grab a viewer’s attention for just under half of a 30” commercial. Look elsewhere and the attention per viewed impression, according to Lumen figures, don’t clear 5 seconds, while the majority of ad media garners less than 4 seconds.
The question, says Radford, is “will anyone even notice it? Here, coverage rates by completion are quite shocking (though with BARB figures, it’s impossible to measure TV ad completion):
Brands can achieve incremental reach using digital channels, especially for younger audiences, and especially at low weights of spend. Here, it is particularly useful, as digital video can build more quickly than TV for less.
However, as the chart above shows, once you remove the overwhelming majority of Facebook and YouTube video ads that are not completed, it throws online into doubt as the medium that can close the gap in declining TV viewership.