Nearly half of U.S. adults say TV is the most acceptable place for advertising, with that sentiment holding steady across all generations.
Tenetic, working with CivicScience, surveyed more than 10,000 adults in July and found TV ads outperform other formats in both acceptance and attention.
More than half of adults (52%) watch broadcast or cable TV daily, but the gap between generations is striking — 82% of Baby Boomers tune in every day, compared to just 26% of Gen Z. Income also plays a role, with 47% of those earning under $50,000 watching daily versus higher rates among wealthier households.
When it comes to influence, 43% of U.S. adults say TV ads are most likely to inspire them to try a new brand. That effect is especially strong with Baby Boomers (55%) and Gen X (51%), while 38% of Gen Z respondents are more swayed by social media ads.
The research also shows TV connects viewers to their local communities at nearly twice the rate of streaming and digital video, and almost three times more than other video platforms. Yet, 59% of adults say they rarely or never remember the sponsor or advertiser after watching a show.
“Viewers are accepting of ads on TV, but they are not finding enough ads to be relevant to their interests or needs,” said Tenetic CEO Chris Wilson, adding that better real-time understanding of consumers could boost TV’s impact, especially for local purchasing.
While 47% of adults want to choose the ads they see, Gen Z stands apart — 42% would rather let AI do the picking.
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