There’s no denying that technology continues to transform the video experience with each passing day. With more and more devices in use within our homes, household viewing habits are evolving and expanding, offering more media touchpoints than ever before. Nearly a quarter of U.S. households now have access to smart TVs, with urban cities such as Washington, D.C., Seattle and New York leading the way. Currently, Netflix is found in 45% of Local People Meter (LPM) TV homes, and 58% of TV households in LPM markets owns a tablet.
At Nielsen, we’ve continued to evolve our measurement standards and invest in enhancements, both nationally and locally. In fact, we now have all electronic measurement in 70 markets across the country, allowing us to take a more complete look at how local media is consumed in small- to medium-sized markets. While larger cities are usually early adopters of new technologies, small and medium cities also show some distinctive media habits. For instance, Salt Lake City, San Diego and Austin have a higher subscription video on-demand (SVOD) penetration than the national average (50%) while tablet penetration for Norfolk, San Diego and Hartford is 60% or higher, compared with a national average of 58%.
Who Are Today’s Digital Car Shoppers?
In this edition of the Local Watch Report, we examine today’s digital car shoppers and their media habits. Nearly 64 million U.S. adults—who make up nearly 26% of the total population—are searching the Internet for their next vehicle at any time. Understanding the profile, media touchpoints and attitudes of these spend-ready consumers is key to staying top-of-mind as they move through the purchase cycle.
Our analysis, found that digital car shoppers tend to be younger, have a higher income and generally plan to spend more on a vehicle than the average U.S. adult. It also found that out of the top 25 LPM markets, Houston and Minneapolis boast the largest penetration of these digital shoppers, and sport utility vehicles are the most desirable for online car shoppers looking to buy a new vehicle.
