Advertisers fail to respond to connected TV uptake

Advertisers are failing to jump on the connected TV bandwagon at an appropriate rate, according to analysis by eMarketer.

Research states that there are currently 24 million households in North America with a connected TV, with viewers watching 12 hours of content through the device in one week.

In Q1 2011 only 8% of brand advertisers actively supported connected TVs. While this has jumped to 28% for the same period in 2012, eMarketer feels opportunities are being missed.

However, research shows that viewer engagement with connected TV ads is high. Research conducted by Frank N. Magid Associates in December 2011 shows that 36% considered purchasing a product or service mentioned in a connected TV ad; and 34% went on to look for a mentioned product in a store or online. Research attributes this to the fact that early adopters are using connecting TVs and they would be more willing to interact with new channels of advertising.

Connected TV adoption is set to soar in the next few years, rising to 81 million households by 2016 and, according to the report, advertisers have to embrace this fully to get capitalise on the device’s surging popularity.

You can read the full article from eMarketer here.