With prices of nearly everything imaginable skyrocketing right now, U.S. consumers are looking to cut costs wherever they can. Since the average consumer spends nearly $1,000 on subscriptions annually, that may be where they start. Is your free ad-​supported TV client ready to swoop in?

Free Ad-​Supported TV Attracts Devoted Subscribers

Paid Subscriptions are Getting Out of Hand

According to a report by bango, the average U.S. consumer has 4.5 subscriptions. These subscriptions encompass:

• Streaming Video on Demand (SVOD): 76% of consumers have at least one of this type of subscription
• Retail: 62%
• Music: 44%
• Gaming: 25%
• News: 16%

Somehow, with only 4.5 subscriptions, the average consumer pays roughly $924 annually on subscriptions. That’s $77 per month! And that’s just the average.

25% of U.S. consumers pay $100 per month for their subscriptions and another 5% pay more than $200 per month! Parents especially are likely to be the ones paying for more subscriptions to give their kids the programming they want.

Many of these subscribers may not even realize they’re spending so much on their subscriptions. We all know how streaming subscription prices have been on the rise for years now. Plus, bango says that 35% of consumers are now paying for services that they used to access for free.

36% of consumers have at least one service that they pay for that they never use and/​or have forgotten exist.

Thankfully for your free ad-​supported TV clients, more and more consumers are saying that enough is enough.

The Tides are Changing

56% of U.S. consumers report recently cancelling SVOD subscriptions when prices hiked too high, says bango. 58% followed suit when news subscription prices rose too high. Another 67% say that they can’t possibly afford all the subscriptions they would like because of recent price hikes.

When any of these scenarios happen, consumers turn to free ad-​supported TV.

Look to this SalesFuel blog based on data from Hub for . 55% of U.S. consumers use at least one free ad-​supported TV streaming service. Why? They enjoy these subscriptions’:

• Value: 42% agree
• Variety of Exclusive Shows and Movies: 41%
• Selection: 38%

34% of consumers report being really interested in a show/​movie they will watch a few ads to finish it. In fact, 56% of consumers say CTV ads provide them with useful information. Only 17% of consumers say that they can’t/won’t tolerate any ads while watching TV shows and movies.

All it would take for the average consumer to make the switch for FAST to save them $4-$5 per month. Remember, they’re now paying an average of $7+ per month per subscription. Now is the time for your free ad-​supported TV clients to make their move!

How to Influence Consumers to Make the Switch

Consumers love free ad-​supported TV (FAST) because of their value as well as their selection of movies and TV shows. Your client needs to know which types of shows/​movies their target audiences are into before they can craft convincing ads.

AudienceSCAN on AdMall by SalesFuel has audience information on:

• FAST (free ad-​supported TV) Viewers
• Heavy Television Watchers
• Netflix Watchers
• Hulu Watchers
• Apple TV+ Subscribers
• And so many other TV subscriber profiles

There, you can find out which types of TV programs and movies are their favorites to watch. Once you and your client know that, they can spotlight their vast selection of those genres in their ads. 

Photo by: Windows