Abstract
How does co-viewing affect TV advertising?
Should co-viewed ads be valued differently compared with solo-viewed ads? Watching a TV screen together is enjoyable, and also increases measures of ad ratings. New abilities to measure co-viewing (e.g., TVision’s Presence measure) have prompted questions about whether co-viewed ads should be valued differently from solo-viewed ads. This meta-analysis of 11 co-viewing studies provides the best available empirical guidance about whether co-viewing is good or bad for television advertising.
- This meta-analysis of 11 co-viewing studies finds co-viewing reduces attention to advertising, worsening ad-effectiveness measures.
- For multitasking conditions, ad effectiveness measures drop further still.
- Survey data suggest more than half of TV ads may be co-viewed by two or more viewers (Statista, 2024).
- But although reach doubles when two people co-view an ad, effective reach (measured by brand recall) does not double; it shows diminishing returns.
- These findings replicate those of over 200 studies of “mere presence” distraction.
- Effective reach measures for TV ads need adjusting downwards when ads are co-viewed.
