What’s new?

‘The New Life of the Living Room’ is an in-depth white paper on attitudes towards video content, which is presented annually during an exclusive event. This year, two factors were new: Alongside including viewing habits from the US in the research, the event took place in a hybrid format for the first time – meaning guests could join for a one-day event in London, or tune in to the one-hour live stream from around the world. The hybrid format allowed more engagement from the audience, while the expanded analysis enabled a wider perspective and defined differences between 11 European markets and the US.

The event – Presenting the paradox of choice

The hybrid event took place on 23 April 2024 in London. During the full-day programme, TV journalist Genie Godula was joined by special guests to discuss a variety of topics: audiences versus ads, the new streaming reality, the paradox of choice, the future of free-to-air TV and the future of video advertising. Stéphane Coruble, CEO of RTL AdAlliance, and Oliver Vesper, Deputy CEO & CDO of RTL AdAlliance, provided the welcome and closing remarks, alongside presenting how RTL AdAlliance is offering simplicity for advertisers and value for publishers via three pillars: simplicity, strong brands and trust.

One hour of the event was made available to viewers around the world during the livestream for ‘The New Life of the Living Room’. Here, Genie was joined by three special guests to present the main takeaways from the study and discuss the newest data on viewing patterns and mindsets:

• Aurelie Brunet de Courssou, Marketing Director at RTL AdAlliance, presented the key findings from the study and explained the paradox of choice – a finding uncovered by the survey showing that viewers struggle to choose from the hours and hours of content available to them.
• Craig Morris, Managing Editor at ITVX, and Maxime André, Director of Marketing, Innovation & Communication at M6 Publicité, discussed the paradox of choice from a broadcaster perspective, using examples from their respective streaming platforms: ITVX and M6+.

The study – Uncovering European and US differences

The study compared European and US attitudes to video content on TV sets for the first time. 10 key differences were defined – for example, Europeans continue to favour linear TV, while a greater proportion of US TV owners watch subscription-based video on demand (SVOD) and short-form video content. The most significant difference, however, is the attitude towards free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) and ad-supported video-on-demand services (AVOD), which are widely used in the US, but less popular in Europe.

Presented during the hybrid event, the paradox of choice refers to the growing diversity of video consumption, leaving many viewers feeling overwhelmed by today’s content. More than 60 per cent of survey respondents indicated they are sometimes unsure what to choose when faced with the amount of video content available.

Aurélie Brunet de Courssou, Marketing Director at RTL AdAlliance, says: “The paradox of choice is an emerging trend in video entertainment. Users value the diversity and enjoy content across many different devices and platforms, but they crave simplicity to access their favourite shows and movies. Bundled offers, embraced by 44 per cent of the respondents in the US and eyed by 38 per cent in Europe, signal this shift. Simplicity, trust, and proximity are the key media trends shaping content and ad choices. In a climate of AI and social media distrust, credibility and relevance in media are paramount.”

About the study
The comprehensive study is based on a quantitative survey carried out in February 2024 covering over 10,000 respondents aged 18 to 64 across the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and for the first time Belgium and the US.

You can download the study here.