​TV promos are close to the top, but definitely not the first thing viewers pay attention to when choosing their next TV show, according to a new study by Viacom.

What was number one? Word of mouth. Viacom’s study, “Getting With the Program: TV’s Funnels, Paths and Hurdles,” says that the top three ways TV viewers find their next favorite show is by word of mouth from friends and family, traditional television promos, then social media. Of the 1,500 Viacom viewers, age 13-44, surveyed, 90 percent chose word of mouth, versus 85 percent leaning toward TV spots and 78 percent looking to social media.

Viacom’s EVP/chief research officer, Colleen Fahey Rush, presented the study at the Next TV Summit in San Francisco Thursday, which was conducted in order to figure out how people watch TV (specifically, Viacom content) in the U.S.

The first part of the study focused on the “Funnels to Fandom,” or how TV viewers become fans of the shows they watch, which resulted in the answers above about how they find TV series. Viacom breaks down the “funnels” into steps: Discovery, Research, Selection, Fandom and Sharing.

The study also found that viewers using multiple devices to watch their television content prefer live TV over other options, and display stronger network loyalty than viewers who only watch programming on one screen. Almost 80 percent of respondents said they wouldn’t have found or become fans of certain shows if they couldn’t have watched that show in multiple ways.

Read more at Broadcasting & Cable and Lost Remote.

Brief Take: While it’s not shocking that TV fans don’t immediately latch on to 30-second promos to find their next Downton Abbey, it’s important to note that word of mouth beats out on-air promos as well as social media as their biggest influence.

[Image courtesy of Viacom]

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