TV news remains strong in US streaming boom

The survey was conducted online from 10-13 December 2021 by YouGov Plc on behalf of Samsung among 1,329 adults 18+ in the US. it found fundamentally an environment characterised by both shifting and persistent consumer TV viewing habits, including the enduring resonance of both national and local broadcast news even as consumers embrace streaming services.

When it comes to what type of news is most popular, the study found local news was the most watched TV news category (62%), followed by national/political (55%) and international news programming (24%). Consumers primarily rely on national TV news for political/global affairs (45%), major crime stories/trends (37%) and national weather coverage (30%).

Among those who regularly consumed local TV news, more than three-quarters (77%) said that they most rely on local weather reporting, followed by coverage of local politics (47%), crime (44%), and local traffic (40%). The survey also found that three-fifths of local TV news viewers watch local news once a day or more, and local TV news was the most frequently watched type of TV news among Americans overall (48%), as compared with national, international and specialty news.

The study also revealed that consumers not only value the content of local TV news, but on-air personalities are also a key draw. In fact, despite the partisan political environment, the survey found that local news anchors (43%) and local weather reporters (37%) are the most enjoyed on-air personalities. National news hosts (35%) rounded out the top three TV news personalities, followed by political news hosts (24%).

“The future of TV is constantly evolving and Samsung is committed to staying at the cutting edge of that change,” said Takashi Nakano, senior director, business development and content acquisitions, Samsung. “These findings reinforce our mission to constantly grow and evolve our free streaming service, Samsung TV Plus, to deliver a robust ecosystem of local, national, international and specialty news channels.” Rapid TV News