iSpot First-Half Report Reveals TV Shifts Already In Progress

Even without Olympics content and two months of scripted programming, TV was still delivering more reach year-over-year during the first half of 2023, according to iSpot’s new TV transparency report.

iSpot’s data shows that household TV ad impressions were up 5% year-over-year, as increases were fueled at least in part by growth for non-traditional dayparts like early morning (up 6.8%) and daytime (up 5.4%). While some of that inevitably comes from more ad airings from certain networks, that wasn’t always the case. Instead, growth in these non-primetime hours becomes indicative of audience shifts in viewing behavior that could prove crucial to advertisers targeting maximum reach through TV.

TV’s New “Reality”

Another interesting note, as brands prepare for a fall TV season lacking scripted programming: Bravo’s Vanderpump Rules was the No. 3 unscripted (reality) program on TV in the first half of the year; up from No. 117 the year before, as ad impressions for the show climbed nearly 10x.

Bravo’s approach to #Scandoval could prove to be a roadmap for how other reality shows (Bravo and otherwise) deal with drama in the future. VPR was previously one of many on the roster of Bravo reality programs, airing primarily to a loyal fan base for the last decade.

But after the network leaned into marathon airings of the show each Wednesday leading up to each evening’s new episode, it helped fuel explosive growth on syndicated airings — but also increased interest in the new episodes (something advertisers will be very interested in for the upcoming season 11 early next year).

Viewership Bounce For (Some) Sports

Live sporting events continue to be a highlight for TV viewing, and some sports keep delivering even more TV ad impressions year-over-year.

iSpot highlights NBA ad impressions growing by 14% year-over-year as the league showed very strong performance during primetime and much of the playoffs. The PGA Tour grew from 1.12% of household TV ad impressions in the first half of 2022, to 1.33% in the first half of 2023. Golf’s surge placed it at No. 10 among all programs this year — just behind daytime soap stalwart The Young And the Restless.

A growing TV footprint for networks and advertisers is ideal for golf right now, especially with the PGA-LIV Golf merger on the horizon.

Another sports entity to see significant year-over-year ad impressions growth was women’s college basketball, which was up 70% vs. the first half 2022. This year’s NCAA Tournament set TV viewership records for the women’s game as media outlets dedicated more resources to coverage (Tubular Labs recently showed how that translated to social video as well). WNBA games are also setting viewership records on ESPN this summer, as overall interest in women’s basketball becomes a rapidly growing sport (yet another opportunity for brands).

Spanish-Language Growth

Spanish-language programming is delivering more household TV ad impressions year-over-year as well. iSpot’s report showed a 16% increase for Univision in the first half of the year, and the network wasn’t alone there.

Telemundo ad impressions grew by over 47% year-over-year, and UniMás jumped by nearly 21%. The increases are indicative of a rapidly growing audience for Spanish-language content overall, and one that’s poised for even greater advertiser investment in the near future.

Univision, Telemundo and UniMás also show a significantly larger share of daytime TV ad impression deliveries (vs. other dayparts) than you’d see from the average English-language broadcast network. If overall TV ad impressions are climbing for daytime long-term, that’s another potential advantage for Spanish-language networks to keep growing their respective ad footprints.