Consumers may not like commercials, based on the popularity of Netflix, but in a new survey by LoopMe just 15% said they rather pay for programming and avoid ads.

The survey found that 45% said yes when asked do you view ads in exchange for free video or editorial content. Another 40% said it depends on the content.

Read Also: LoopMe Helps Advertisers Avoid 'Hateful Content'

The data comes in as streaming services like Peacock and Discovery Plus start to offer viewers a choice between low-priced versions with commercials and higher priced versions that are commercial free. More are on the way, with Paramount Plus and HBO Max launching ad supported tiers in June.

At the same time, free, ad supported streaming services like Pluto TV, Tubi and The Roku Channel are gaining viewers.

Also Read: Survey: News Consumption Down Since COVID Peak

People have said they’ve become familiar with commercials, with 24% saying that they’re most comfortable receiving ads over TV and radio. That trailed only direct mail with at 25%. Fewer people like online and social media ads and almost no-one--2%--were comfortable getting phone calls and texts that were advertisements.

The survey also found that 27% of people felt websites and apps were most helpful in making their smartest purchasing decision. By contrast just 16% cited TV and radio.

Read Also: LoopMe Measures Results of Spots on Connected TV

The survey also looked at government regulation and found that 59% of American said current ad rules are not working, with 33% unsure and 8% saying they are effective.

LoopMe, an outcomes-based digital advertising platform, delivered this research study to 142,976 consumers via mobile devices, getting 2,410 responses.

With NBC selling 30-second commercials for about $5 million each, Amazon Prime Video will be promoting its upcoming series Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, which will premiere Aug. 31.

The Super Bowl is TV’s biggest and most viewed event. Digital and streaming services have been eating into traditional media, taking away both viewers and advertising. Yet digital companies still turn to TV to promote important products.

"Given the colossal scope and scale of the series coupled with the popularity of Tom Clancy's novels, we knew Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan would be a natural fit for Prime Video’s first Super Bowl ad,” said Mike Benson, head of marketing for Amazon Studios. “The global nature of the audience provides us with a unique opportunity to give viewers a look at this thrilling new series coming to Prime.”

Amazon’s Prime Video ad is schedule to air immediately following the Super Bowl half time show. It features Ryan, played by John Krasinski, and is set to audio clips of political leaders including Presidents John F. Kennedy, Bill Clinton, Donald J. Trump, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Ronald Reagan. The soundtrack is Ed Sheeran performing Bob Dylan’s "All Along the Watchtower."

Read more at broadcastingcable.com.

Twitter has released research showing that it can help marketers better reach viewers when they’re watching live events, particularly sports, on TV.

Data from comScore showed Twitter is the only social network that gets a lift in unique visitors when sports is on the air, Twitter said. During the 2017 Super Bowl, for example, Twitter usage was 19% higher than average while the other social platforms combined were down.

Related: Four Trends in Play for Cable Sports

Twitter commissioned a study from Neuro-Insight, which uses biometrics to gauge the impact the social platform has on sports fans; the company came up with three main findings.

The first is that Twitter makes live sports events more engaging and memorable. When Twitter was used as a second screen to see what others are saying in real time, engagement was up 31% and memorability was up 35% compared with engagement and memorability among fans using TV alone. When a sports event was streamed on Twitter, engagement rose 60% and memorability 59% compared with TV-only viewing.

The second is that when the sports event is more engaging, the advertising in it works harder. Engagement with Twitter ads were up 42% during games on TV, and memorability rose 52%.

Finally, TV ads were also more effective when viewers were also using Twitter during sportscasts. Engagement with TV ads was up 18% and memorability rose 13%.

Related: CES 2018: As World Turns Digital, TV Ads Remain Powerful

“Through our past work, we know that generally the presence of the second screen, specifically with Twitter, helps TV, and we saw a similar effect for live events in this study,” said Pranav Yadav, CEO of Neuro-Insight US. “This means that by having Twitter as a part of the marketing mix, brands can not only reach a bigger audience, they’re actually giving a boost to their original investment in TV. It’s a win-win.”

Netflix, with its ad-free content, has profoundly changed the way consumers watch TV. Some estimates claim Netflix saves consumers more than six days of their life, or about 157.87 hours, per year in commercials not watched compared with a traditional cable provider.

To put this in context, the traditional hour of TV has almost 16 minutes of commercials.

This leaves broadcast channels and the service providers that carry them in quite the predicament. Consumers are getting used to a commercial-free experience, which is certain to affect future programming. This is because ads play a critical role in funding the development of creative video programs, and if they disappear altogether, then the ecosystem will not be nearly as vibrant.

I believe we’ll soon see a future in which there are far fewer advertisements, but more personalized content within those advertisements when they do play.

I’m not alone in this thinking. According to analyst firm Ovum, data will transform the business of visual entertainment and drive the biggest shift in the balance of power in TV in the 2020s. We’ll see increasingly granular, personalized TV services, as the main unit of TV consumption continues to shift from households to individuals.

To make this personalized advertising approach successful, service providers working with broadcasters need first to identify the target viewer persona across multiple devices. This can easily be done using Netflix/Hulu-style profile selection linked to a consumer’s Facebook or Google account. However, with privacy being front and center in the U.S. right now, service providers will need to manage consent through an opt-in before information is collected. Once access is granted, the service provider can use various data sources like social media and viewing habits to create a “360” profile that is unique to the viewer.

They have this data – they just need to know how to leverage it.

The main question here is: Will consumers be more willing to share private information if it means getting less, but more relevant, commercials during their favorite shows? While privacy is important, I’m willing to bet consumers would be willing to participate, at least at some level, if it means less friction and fewer ads.

If done right, personalized ads can generate much more revenue per view than general targeted ads today, which means a consumer could see a fraction of the commercials they do now, but the same revenue is obtained.

While it may seem like fewer commercials mean less overall revenue for broadcast and service providers, more targeted ads would increase interaction and potential purchases. According to a survey conducted by ad insertion company Yospace, 78% of audiences are more likely to take notice and 55% are likely or very likely to look online for a product if they’re personally targeted by an ad.

Broadcast and TV content providers can look to offset initial losses with options like ad-funded free content or better incentives to purchase digital content.

We are seeing some very big telecom carrier moves in the media space, such as AT&T’s purchase of DirecTV, and this creates advertising inventory space to monetize from any screen the consumer is using. With this in mind, it’s clear the advertising business is a key revenue stream to consider and perhaps revamp entirely.

While advertisements aren’t going completely away, more personalized commercials are a clear next step as service providers look to further monetize their offerings by using customer data. This is the only true way to battle the idea that content should be commercial-free due to the likes of Netflix.

Besides, wouldn’t you want some of your 158 hours per year back?

Gary Miles is chief marketing officer of Amdocs.

The amount of commercials in TV network programming rose to 10.9 minutes per hour in November from 10.7 minutes last year, according to Nielsen data analyzed by Brian Wieser of Pivotal Research Group.

Several networks have been talking about reducing commercial loads to make their programming more attractive to viewers, who are being lured away by commercial-free alternatives like Netflix and over-the-top video sources, which often have fewer, shorter breaks.

Commercial loads were down at networks run by Time Warner, Scripps Networks Interactive and 21st Century Fox, according to Wieser.

Viacom, which has talked about lowering the amount of commercials in some new programming on some of its networks, was up for the month.

Read more at broadcastingcable.com.