Viewers watching music videos on over-the-top devices say they’re receptive to ads, according to a study conducted by Vevo and Magna and the IPG Media Lab.

The study looked at U.S. audiences and different cultures and found that all tended to share and co-view content more when watching on OTT devices compared to desktops, mobile, laptops and even linear TV.

When the content was culturally relevant, viewers stayed tuned in longer, with 37% watching for an hour or more. 

While watching music content on OTT devices, more than 60% of the people in each cultural group said they would be receptive to ads.

“With recent findings showing that 79% of Vevo’s CTV content is being co-viewed, it’s important for us to understand the nuances of audience behaviors in order to pass on these insights with our clients and partners,” said Bryon Schafer, senior VP of research at Vevo.

“No screen is seeing a greater surge in Vevo viewership than the television, which has seen an increase of over 20% since March of this year with 61M viewers exclusively engaging on connected TV screens. Modeling user behavior against our content and go-to-market strategies keep us in tune with our global audiences. We’ve really enjoyed finding out exactly what makes viewers tune in – and stay tuned in to the content they watch,” Schafer said.

While there were some similarities, across cultural groups, there were also notable differences.

Among Asians, older audiences are more likely to seek out informative videos for task-based viewing sessions across all devices. Meanwhile younger Asian audiences are more likely to watch binge-friendly genres, like music, resulting in longer viewing periods of over an hour across all devices.

African-American audience watch binge-worthy content for longer periods of time. However, unlike younger Asian audiences, younger black viewers tend to watch content in shorter spurts of less than 30 minutes, likely driven by higher levels of mobile usage. Black viewers are the most likely audience to seek out music and sports content. OTT is the leading device to resonate with Black viewers at their most engaged with 63% of audiences being receptive to ads on this device.

Among Hispanics, English dominant and bilingual Hispanic viewers tend to have longer watch time, while Spanish dominant audiences watch for mid-length sessions of 30-59 minutes. 60% of Hispanic viewers watching music on OTT are receptive to ads.

The report concludes that you can reach viewers in their most engaged state when they’re watching videos that relate to them culturally--they’re attentive and receptive.

“Our Cultural Dimensions study reinforced the idea that social media platforms have helped propagate and influence the conversation on culture.  So the merging of our datasets with IPG Media Lab’s and MAGNA’s helps to bring new multicultural insights into how we think about creating smarter strategies for data analysis, planning, creative and more,” says Deidre Smalls-Landau, U.S. chief marketing officer and global head of culture for UM, on of the IPG media agencies that works with Magna and the IPG Media Lab.

A study unveiled by the Council for Research Excellence shows that TV watchers pay more attention to advertisements than their digital counterparts.

According to the study, conducted by Hub Entertainment Research, 62% of TV viewers were able to recall half or more of advertisers, followed by tablet (47%), smartphone (46%) and computer (45%) users. For attentiveness, another key measure of engagement, 29% of participants rated TV an 8-10 on a 10-point scale where 10 means complete attention, ahead of smartphone (23%), computer (20%) and tablet (17%).  

Platform experience is related to actual screen size. Independent of other factors, the viewing experience was significantly more positive among TV viewers, with 89% of participants rated TV an 8-10 on a 10-point scale for enjoyment, followed by tablet (63%), computer (54%) and smartphone (53%).  

The study also found that multi-tasking adversely impacts engagement with ads but not with the plot of the show being watched. In addition, the study found that only a small percentage of multi-tasking – about 7% to 11% -- during ads was related to the brands being featured in those spots.

"Our study indicates that the television set is not only the most enjoyable of viewing platforms, but that its strength extends to the diagnostics of ad engagement," said AMC Networks SVP of research and CRE Media Consumption and Engagement Committee chair Tom Ziangas in a statement. "It appears that in the world of ad engagement and recall, size really does matter. The challenge for content providers is to find ways to leverage the more personal experience viewers have with smaller screens."

The CRE research was presented at the Nielsen Consumer 360 event by Joe Abruzzo, former chair of the CRE's Media Consumption and Engagement Committee, and Joanne Burns, a former member of the committee.

"The fact that viewers were equally engaged with program content, regardless of screen, suggests that there’s nothing inherent in the device itself that makes them less likely to pay attention to ads,” said Hub Entertainment Research principal Peter Fondulas in a statement. “The more likely culprit for the lower ad engagement on smaller screens is an ad delivery approach that doesn’t align well with the expectations, and viewing situations, of consumers watching on mobile devices."

Hub Entertainment Research recruited a nationwide sample of persons aged 16-54 for the study. Respondents watched one show on one targeted platform; show content and ads were identical across all four types of platforms and 1,968 people completed a 15-minute online post-viewing survey measuring levels of enjoyment, attention and emotional response, as well as show and ad recall utilizing questions provided by Nielsen Brand Effect. The sample was weighted for show, age and gender. Shows viewed were "Bones," "Family Guy," "The Big Bang Theory," "Survivor" and "Family Feud."