Ion Media commissioned Nielsen to study the growth of broadcast-only TV households and their overall impact in the marketplace. The report showed that there is a steady rise in the number of broadcast-only homes over the last five years, increasing to 15.8 million households and representing a rise of 41%.
The Nielsen study includes support for Ion Media’s continued TV station and affiliate portfolio expansion, which is planned to give US households greater access to independent and affordable entertainment, kids and lifestyle programming. Ion Media’s upcoming acquisitions will expand its nationwide footprint to 63 stations and will then uniquely operate TV stations in all 20 of the largest US markets. Ion Media’s network portfolio provides viewers with diverse programming options from Ion Television, Ion Life and Qubo.
The study showed that broadcast television is not just for the older generations, as younger and millennial viewers continue to discover its benefits. The study also showed that broadcast-only homes have a higher percentage of young viewers with a median age of 34.5, than total TV households, with a median age of 39.6. Additionally, 39% of broadcast-only homes have children in the household, compared to 34% of total TV households. According to the report, broadcast-only homes have a greater composition of working head of householders than total TV homes, with 67% in the labour force.
The increasing multicultural population in the US has placed an emphasis on programming that caters for diverse audiences, and this has become increasingly important among broadcast-only homes. The study concluded that the population represent a significantly higher composition of Hispanic, African-American and Asian households which represents 42%, compared to 30% of total TV households.
