Streaming will continue to grow in popularity. As of the March issue of Nielsen’s The GaugeTM, streaming among U.S. adults was up 12% on an annual basis. Major streaming players are investing huge sums of money into producing programming to attract viewers. Ad-supported options are also proliferating to meet demand from even larger audiences, including the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) community.
AANHPHI’s audience brings in $1.3 trillion in purchasing power and is the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population. With more media platforms available than ever before, understanding where and how AANPI audiences are consuming content is critical for brands and businesses. Asian Americans are heavy users of digital media, including streaming, while spending less total time on media than any other segment of the U.S. population. For marketers looking to incorporate streaming into their media plans, Asian Americans could be a key audience to focus on.
Streaming expands share of TV usage among Asian Americans
As reported in Nielsen’s latest Diverse Intelligence series report, Asian viewers ages 18 and older in the United States spend 17.5 hours per week watching television. Although this is less than the 32 hours the average person spends per week, AANHPI viewers spend a larger percentage of their total TV viewing time streaming. According to Nielsen’s The GaugeTM, as of January 2024, streaming accounted for 45.4% of Asian American TV consumption, compared to 36.0% for the general U.S. population.
Streaming usage among Asian Americans increased 5.6% year over year starting in January 2023. And streaming continues to be popular. In March 2024, streaming rose to 48.2% of total TV time for AANHPI viewers.
The good news for advertisers is that Asian Americans are leaning toward ad-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) viewing, accounting for 31% of streaming as of January 2024, compared to 27% of the total population. It’s occupied.
AANHPI streaming usage grows across devices
Beyond television, AAHPI viewers spend 17 hours a week on their smartphones, which is in line with the total population. However, AAHPI viewers’ level of engagement with their mobile devices accounts for more than a third of their total media time.
On smartphones, Asians outperform other viewers in using streaming platform apps, especially ad-supported apps. In a typical month, YouTube’s mobile app is used by 85% of AANHPI adults. Sling TV is also particularly attractive for its international TV content, especially in South Asian and East Asian languages. AANHPI viewers are 37% more likely to use the app than the general population.
The reality is that the audience for ad-supported streaming platforms continues to grow. For example, in February 2024, YouTube captured 9.3% of TV usage, making it the highest on the platform. But not all viewers have embraced it at the same pace. While age and gender have traditionally been the focus of driving media buys, advanced audience segmentation can help marketers better plan to reach engaged audiences. .
The media consumption behavior of AANHPI viewers does not follow traditional norms. For example, Asians over 50 spend the most time on connected TV devices compared to other groups who tend to watch more linear TV. Given that Asian Americans stream frequently, advertisers can focus on engaging this audience across ad-supported streaming platforms as part of cross-media campaigns.
To learn more about the value of streaming in cross-media campaigns, check out Nielsen’s 2024 Annual Marketing Report.
