“What was the last trailer you watched?” With this question we launched our survey, believing it wisest to anchor our inquiry in a concrete experience.
We then asked, “What medium did you use to watch that trailer”? We listed theater, TV screen, computer, mobile device and public screen as possible answers. Here, in graphic format, is what we learned:
We then asked, “What medium did you use to watch that trailer”? We listed theater, TV screen, computer, mobile device and public screen as possible answers. Here, in graphic format, is what we learned:
We weren’t entirely surprised. As it happens, there is a context in which to situate our data. We had in our files research compiled by industry leader, Nielsen/NRG, for the years 2009 to 2011, received from a company executive who lectured in a course one of us had taught. Although Nielsen/NRG asked viewers a slightly different question relating to “Venues for movie trailer viewing” (whether in-theater, online, mobile device, on-demand, x-box/PS3, tablet) we think our questions are similar enough to justify meaningful comparison.
Though separated by three years (an eon in internet time), our data confirms the trend away from in-theater viewing visible in the Nielsen/NRG findings. We can say with some confidence that online trailer-watching now surpasses the in-theater experience. Whether viewing occurs with mobile device, tablet, desktop or TV-enabled computers like On-Demand, X-Box or Play Station, the public, site-specific & communal experience of watching trailers that defined the first 100 years of their history has been replaced by a more personal, private and self-directed experience. We pause a moment to acknowledge this transition.
But enough nostalgia. No longer are viewers restricting to a controlled and limited viewing of these dense, short, commercial films. People seek out trailers, talk about trailers and watch trailers – repeatedly—for entertainment and information, often with little reference to the features that motivated their production. For many industry watchers, this will be old news, widely predicted years ago.
Issues with the Data:
While the change in “mobile” consumption of trailers from 2011 (10% in the Nielsen/NRG Data) and 2014 (11% in ours) seems far too modest, when you include the Tablet/iPad option (5%), it looks as if Mobile viewing has actually declined over the past 3 years. Those numbers defy conventional wisdom and lived experience. We’re going to have to ask the question again with a larger and more randomized pool of respondents. Most likely this is a statistical anomaly or an outcome attributable to US vs. UK adaptation rates.
But enough nostalgia. No longer are viewers restricting to a controlled and limited viewing of these dense, short, commercial films. People seek out trailers, talk about trailers and watch trailers – repeatedly—for entertainment and information, often with little reference to the features that motivated their production. For many industry watchers, this will be old news, widely predicted years ago.
Issues with the Data:
While the change in “mobile” consumption of trailers from 2011 (10% in the Nielsen/NRG Data) and 2014 (11% in ours) seems far too modest, when you include the Tablet/iPad option (5%), it looks as if Mobile viewing has actually declined over the past 3 years. Those numbers defy conventional wisdom and lived experience. We’re going to have to ask the question again with a larger and more randomized pool of respondents. Most likely this is a statistical anomaly or an outcome attributable to US vs. UK adaptation rates.
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