A recent study from Nielsen Holdings points to children's programming as the category with the third-highest jump in viewing at out-of home venues, behind sports and news.
Game shows tied sports as the programming genre registering the biggest percentage lift in audience from these outlets.
According to the study tracking out-of-home viewing in bars, gyms, airports and office settings on a total-day basis from January through the end of May, sports programming registered the largest increase in average out-of-home time spent viewing of 2 hours and 37 minutes, on top of the nearly 30-hour average for persons 6 years and older watching sports. The sports genre recorded a 9% increase in ratings when out-of-home viewing was factored in.
News programming ranked second in terms of average out-of-home time spent viewing with an uptick of two hours and two minutes, according to the study, which resulted in a 3% ratings lift. Nielsen found that 48% of out-of-home news viewing came from adults 25 to 54.
Child multiweekly programming scored a 59-minute jump in average time spent viewing over the five-month study span, yielding a 3% increase in ratings.
The study indicated that persons ages 6 to 17 represented only 10% of the share of overall out-of-home viewing, suggesting that older viewers — parents, siblings, babysitters — were also watching. This co-viewing pattern presents marketers with opportunities to not only reach kids, but also care-givers, who wield the buying power.
Audience participation shows, e.g. game shows, only added 16 minutes of out-of-home time spent viewing. However, that produced a 9% ratings rise, matching sports as the genre that benefited from the highest out-of-home audience lift.
Data evinced that 26% of out-of-home impressions were attributed to viewers ages 18 to 34, while 32% was tied to those 55 and older.
The analysis found that while almost one-third of out-of-home viewing stems from older generations, it is the younger age groups that experienced the largest percentage of viewership lift from out-of-home watching. Among viewers ages 18 to 34, out-of-home viewing contributed an 8% increase from in-home viewership. When expanded to the 18-to-49 set, out-of-home viewing added a 6% increase among those viewers. Among persons 25 to 54, it afforded a 5% lift. Conversely, where those 55 and older were involved, out-of-home only provided a 3% bump.
As to gender, women accounted for 51% of out-of-home viewing share, but males 6 and older saw a slightly larger lift from out-of-home at 5%, versus 4% for females.
Nielsen launched its National Out-Of-Home Reporting Service in April, with ESPN (US) and ESPN2 (US) on board. The opt-in, electronic service measures both in-home and out-of-home audiences, providing subscribing TV networks with program and commercial ratings for live through live+ 7 days of time-shifted viewing.
In June, 21st Century Fox Inc. began subscribing to the service for sports on FOX (US), FOX Sports 1 (US), FOX Sports 2 (US) and FOX Deportes (US).
Last month, Time Warner Inc.-owned CNN (US) and Turner Sports struck a deal for the out-of-home service.