Study: Super Bowl To Be Streamed by 1 in 4 Viewers

Adtaxi—one of the nation’s fastest-growing digital marketing agencies—today announced the 2020 results of its annual Super Bowl Viewership and Consumer Streaming Trends Survey. According to new data, more viewers than ever plan to stream the Super Bowl this year (24%), a consistent climb from last year (21%) and the year before (8%).

“The horse is out of the gate. Digital platforms are capturing historic Super Bowl audiences, with TV and Cable increasingly losing hefty chunks of audience with each passing year,” said Chris Loretto, EVP of Adtaxi. “As streaming services flood the market with competing content, prices and access, the question is not whether Americans will stream big games, but which services will nab their attention.”

Among Adtaxi’s Super Bowl findings:

• The Majority Will Be Multitasking: 69% of viewers plan to use more than one platform to engage with Super Bowl content. Of those viewers, 78% plan to use social media as they watch the game.
• Commercials are King: 62% say they are enthusiastic about watching the commercials, while 58% say they are enthusiastic about the game and 48% say they enthusiastic about the halftime show.

Meanwhile, among the survey’s findings related to respondents’ broader streaming habits:

• Streaming Dominates: 68% say they consume the majority of their TV via streaming, while 30% say they consume all of their TV via streaming.
• Advertisements: 31% say that streaming TV provides the most personally relevant ads, while only 21% say cable TV ads are most relevant, and 12% say traditional TV.
• Cutting the Cord: 26% say they have already cancelled a cable or satellite subscription in favor of streaming, while 28% say they plan to do so in the coming year.
• Reasons to Stream: 51% of those planning to cut the cord say the reason is to save money, while 36% say they want to watch on their own schedule, 35% say they like the option of binge watching and 27% say they want to avoid traditional TV commercials.

“As streaming gains momentum, marketers have the opportunity to target larger audiences more effectively than ever. Leveraging the nuance in these evolving preferences is key to getting it right, with targeting that is noticeably relevant to the consumer and their habits,” Loretto said.

Methodology:
This survey was conducted online using Survey Monkey among a national sample of 1,000 adults spanning across U.S. geographic regions and income levels, with Super Bowl viewers represented by the 698 respondents who indicated they plan to consume the Super Bowl. The survey sample was weighted to reflect the gender distribution and the age distribution across the 18-44 and 45+ age brackets in U.S. census data.