StreamingMedia: Linear TV Persists Forcing Unified Ad Measurement

Linear TV Across Streaming

Executive Summary

Linear TV programming continues to be consumed across multiple internet-delivered platforms, and commentary declaring the “Death of Linear TV” is explicitly cautioned against in the cited source. The same programming format is described as “linear TV” even when delivered via different underlying technologies, indicating that distribution method does not change the classification of the content.

Key Industry Developments

• Commentary framing linear TV as finished is challenged, with an explicit recommendation to treat “Death of Linear TV” claims skeptically.
• Linear TV viewing is described as occurring on virtual MVPD and streaming services, including YouTube TV.
• Linear TV viewing is also described across additional streaming platforms, including Twitch, Hulu, Disney, and Prime.
• The definition of linear TV programming is stated as independent of delivery technology, emphasizing that the programming remains “linear TV” even when the transport changes.

Real-World Use Cases

• Viewers watch linear TV through YouTube TV as a streaming-based way to access linear programming.
• Viewers watch linear TV through multiple streaming platforms, including Twitch, Hulu, Disney, and Prime, indicating linear programming consumption beyond traditional broadcast or cable delivery.

Why It Matters

The cited source draws a distinction between the programming format (linear TV) and the delivery mechanism, stating that linear programming remains the same “regardless of the underlying technology used to deliver it.” This framing supports evaluating linear TV’s presence based on where audiences watch it—including streaming platforms—rather than treating shifts in distribution as equivalent to the disappearance of linear programming.

Sources

• https://www.streamingmedia.com/Articles/Columns/The-Producers-View/Greatly-Exaggerated-The-Death-of-Linear-TV-170755.aspx