A new study by Neilsen has revealed that Asian American audiences devote almost equal time to both TV and smartphone and also spend 31 percent of their viewing time on ad-supported platforms, more than the total population.

The survey, titled Reaching Asian American Audiences: Understanding Asian Influence and Media Consumption, is part of global leader in audience measurement, data and analytics Nielsen’s Diverse Intelligence Series report to kick-off Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

While streaming is undoubtedly the leading platform to connect with Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) audiences, the use of devices widely varies.

The report shows that AANHPI audiences are spending nearly the same amount of time tuning into content on the TV screen and smartphone screen — approximately 17 hours per week on each screen. Viewership of TV-connected devices outpaces traditional live TV by more than an hour and a half a week, Nielsen said in a media statement last week.

Additionally, Asian Americans are continuing to grow as a key audience for advertisers investing in ad-supported streaming platforms. In 2023, Asian Americans spent 31 percent of their viewing time on ad-supported video on-demand (AVOD) streaming platforms, compared to the 27 percent of the total population.

Combined with the fact that Asian American viewers spend nearly 10 percent more time streaming content in general when compared to the total population, indicating that brands should take a cross-media approach to engaging this group.

“As the media landscape continues to evolve, so will Asian media viewership — especially when you consider the diversity of the AANHPI diaspora community,” says Patricia Ratulangi, Vice President of Global Communications for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Nielsen.

“In a time of splintering media attention, divided voices and an ever-growing number of platforms to choose from, reaching the Asian American community requires a deeper understanding of our diverse experiences and perspectives,” she added.

The rise of Asian representation on screen, reaching 10.9 percent in 2023, may be a contributing factor to this viewing trend. And, while this certainly influences the growing number of Asian American people watching ad-supported streaming, Asian-inclusive content is also impacting the total minutes streamed by all U.S. audiences – with series like Beef racking up over 5.8 billion minutes watched in 2023. The report was done in association with Gold House.

Diving deeper, the report highlights the increasing importance of non-subscription news media as a valuable connection point for reaching AANHPI audiences, who make up the fastest-growing group of eligible voters in the United States.

As we head into a new election year, the power of news media will greatly influence Asian American viewers, with 78 percent of the audience consuming news at least once a day and showing a 34 percent higher likelihood to trust in the accuracy of news programmes.

Other key highlights in the 2024 report include:

# Streaming continues to gain share with 45.4 percent of Asian Americans’ TV usage at the start of this year (versus 43 percent in January 2023).

# Asian Americans are 27 percent more likely to buy games/toys (including video games), 10 percent more likely to buy books, and 6 percent more likely to buy music/videos in the past 3-12 months than the total population.

# Asian American consumers are 69 percent more likely to buy a new smartphone than the total population.

# On smartphones, Asians outpace other viewers for using streaming platform apps — especially ad-supported ones. In an average month, YouTube’s mobile app reaches 85 percent of Asian American adults.