Internet-Connected TV Boosts Viewing

Viewing of TV programming on internet-connected devices rose 62% in June from a year ago, according to an analysis of Nielsen figures by Brian Wieser of Pivotal Research.

That boost in viewing on gadgets including Roku, Apple TV and Chromecast helped push total use of TV up by 2.4% among adults 18 to 49. Viewing on internet-connected devices accounted for 7.7% of all viewing.

Related: Nielsen Adds Viewability to Digital Ad Ratings

From an advertising perspective, total advertising impressions were up 9%. Despite lots of talk about reducing commercial loads on some networks, overall, commercial loads were up according to Wieser.

Viacom’s networks produced the largest share of commercial impressions with 16.6%. That was down from a year ago when it had 18.1% of commercial impressions. Viacom’s ad load was down, verifying management’s efforts to reduce the amount of commercials in their programming, though they still sit at an industry leading level at 14.9 minutes per hour.

Related: HBO, CNN Up, Viacom Down Among 'Must Keep TV' Brands

Ad loads were also down at Disney and flat at CBS, Time Warner, Scripps Networks and 21st Century Fox.

Disney and Discovery’s commercial share grew the most in June.

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.