Study: TV remains dominant driver in US conversations
May 22, 2025
The Television Bureau of Advertising (TVB) has released a study that sheds light on how Americans consume media and the significant role TV continues to play in shaping everyday conversations.
TVB commissioned GfK/NIQ to conduct the Media & Conversations Study to assess and quantify the role of media in influencing conversations. The national study included over 4,000 respondents across demographic groups, political party affiliations, races and ethnicities, as well as key consumer product categories.
Key Questions Addressed:
- Which medium is the strongest conversation driver – TV, streaming, radio, social media, podcasts, newspapers?
- What are people’s attitudes toward news sources regarding trust, believability, shareability and fake news?
- How do media platforms influence political word of mouth?
- How influential are media platforms on word of mouth among those who are in the market for products and services like auto, healthcare, home improvement, legal services, physical fitness, restaurants, retail, and travel?
- On what platforms do people prefer to view their sports – linear or streaming?
Key Findings:
- Eight out of ten respondents are having daily conversations about topics covered by local broadcast TV station newscasts.
- Media affects conversations:
- Television remains the dominant driver of conversations about the news of the day, local/regional news, weather, sports, traffic, and politics as compared with ad-supported streaming platforms, social media, print, radio, podcasts, and direct mail.
- Of all digital choices, conversations about news of the day are most affected by local TV stations’ websites/apps.
- Respondents reported that broadcast TV news is their primary news source:
- They also found local broadcast news assets to be the most shareworthy, trustworthy and believable. This was also true among key age demos, high-net-worth homes, and consumer categories.
- They found social media to be the least trustworthy, believable, and strongly associate it with fake news.
- Across key product categories, TV was most selected by respondents as the media that sparks or is referenced in their daily news conversations.
- Across the spectrum of professional and college sports, respondents overwhelmingly chose linear TV over streaming sources as their viewing source.
- Regardless of political affiliation, respondents chose TV as the biggest impact on their daily conversations about news.
Local broadcast TV, in particular, stood out not only as a trusted source but as a catalyst for daily conversations. Respondents reported feeling a strong sense of closeness and familiarity with local TV news, this emotional connection to their local stations further reinforces TV’s importance and effectiveness in influencing both personal dialogue and consumer behavior.
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