--- title: "AdAge: How Often Are People in the Room When TV Ads Air? Not as Much as Brands Might Like, Study Shows" description: TV commercials may not be so superior to digital ads when it comes to viewability as the industry believes. According to a new study from IPG Media Lab, 29 percent of TV commercials are not actually seen by viewers. The media agency worked with TVision to analyze six months of TV viewing behavior. image: https://www.tvisioninsights.com/hubfs/tv_counter_illo_2019_3x2.jpg --- [![TVision Logo](https://www.tvisioninsights.com/hs-fs/hubfs/TVision%20Brand%20Guidelines/TVision_logo_color_rgb_whiteText.png?width=1804&height=202&name=TVision_logo_color_rgb_whiteText.png "TVision Logo")](https://www.tvisioninsights.com/) News # AdAge: How Often Are People in the Room When TV Ads Air? Not as Much as Brands Might Like, Study Shows March 19   |   News *Attention is a problem for TV commercials too, not just digital ads* By Olivia Raimonde, [AdAge](https://adage.com/article/advertising/people-room-ads-air-brands-study-reveals/317022/) TV commercials may not be so superior to digital ads when it comes to attention as the industry believes. According to a new study from IPG Media Lab, 29 percent of TV commercials are not actually seen by viewers. The media agency worked with TVision to analyze six months of TV viewing behavior to assess how often people are actually seeing commercials. Using a term that's more often used in the digital landscape, the study says that 29 percent of TV ad deliveries are not "viewable," meaning nobody is in the room for at least two seconds while the commercial is airing. This compares to 31 percent of digital video being unviewable. "Attention has long been a term of discussion in the digital advertising landscape, but now the industry is realizing just how difficult it is to measure linear TV's attention as well, and track exactly how and when ads are being viewed," Chad Stoller, managing partner for IPG Media Lab, said in a statement. "The way TV has historically been measured does not capture the fact that TV does have a attention problem that is similar to that of digital," says Luke McGuinness, president of TVision. "It's pretty similar in size and can have a fairly significant impact on how marketers think about their TV advertising." The study used technology that was installed in a panel of households, recording variables such as how many people were in the room when an ad aired, whether people were engaged with the specific ad and if the ad was viewed by its target audience. Some categories fared better than others: pharmaceutical ads were viewed 75 percent of the time, compared to 65 percent attention for recreational ads, which includes entertainment venues, toys and games, and gyms and fitness. This could, in part, be due to the use of longer pharma ads, which tend to increase attention, McGuinness says. [![TV and CTV Attention Report](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/3023204/5eeec174-ffb8-4a4a-81d3-9e747704521a.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/3023204/5eeec174-ffb8-4a4a-81d3-9e747704521a) ![LinkedIn](https://www.tvisioninsights.com/hubfs/Assets%202018%20-%20S2/illustrations-icons/linkedin-icon.png) ![Twitter](https://www.tvisioninsights.com/hubfs/Assets%202018%20-%20S2/illustrations-icons/twitter-icon.png) ![Facebook](https://www.tvisioninsights.com/hubfs/Assets%202018%20-%20S2/illustrations-icons/fb-icon.png) ## More resources from TVision [blog](https://www.tvisioninsights.com/resources/tag/blog) [TVision's New TV Attention and Creative Impact Report](https://www.tvisioninsights.com/resources/tvisions-new-tv-attention-and-creative-impact-report) Today TVision, the company measuring every second of TV and CTV viewer engagement, released the H2 2025 State of Streaming Report. The semi-annual State of Streaming Report is the industry's best resource for insight into attention and engagement with streaming apps, content and ads. [Read More](https://www.tvisioninsights.com/resources/tvisions-new-tv-attention-and-creative-impact-report) [blog](https://www.tvisioninsights.com/resources/tag/blog) [TVision Insights Enters Definitive Agreement to Be Acquired by Viant Technology](https://www.tvisioninsights.com/resources/tvision-insights-enters-definitive-agreement-to-be-acquired-by-viant-technology) Today TVision, the company measuring every second of TV and CTV viewer engagement, announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Viant Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: DSP), a leader in CTV and AI-powered programmatic advertising, in a transaction valued at $40 million. The deal, expected to close in Q2 2026, brings TVision's second-by-second, person-level attention data, co-viewership signals, and in-room presence measurement directly into Viant's buying platform. [Read More](https://www.tvisioninsights.com/resources/tvision-insights-enters-definitive-agreement-to-be-acquired-by-viant-technology) [blog](https://www.tvisioninsights.com/resources/tag/blog) [TVision's New State of Streaming Report Reveals How Context, Pod Position and More Impact Viewer Engagement](https://www.tvisioninsights.com/resources/tvisions-new-state-of-streaming-report-h2-2025) Today TVision, the company measuring every second of TV and CTV viewer engagement, released the H2 2025 State of Streaming Report. The semi-annual State of Streaming Report is the industry's best resource for insight into attention and engagement with streaming apps, content and ads. [Read More](https://www.tvisioninsights.com/resources/tvisions-new-state-of-streaming-report-h2-2025) [![The TV and CTV Attention Report](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/3023204/6b181378-6650-4289-8bad-aa2394689443.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/3023204/6b181378-6650-4289-8bad-aa2394689443) ### Find Your Brand's TV Performance Or try these: [Geico](https://www.tvisioninsights.com/search-results?brand=Geico), [Amazon](https://www.tvisioninsights.com/search-results?brand=Amazon), [Progressive](https://www.tvisioninsights.com/search-results?brand=Progressive), [State Farm](https://www.tvisioninsights.com/search-results?brand=State%20Farm), [T-Mobile](https://www.tvisioninsights.com/search-results?brand=T-Mobile) ## Get in Touch Need more info, have a question or want a demo? Tell us a little bit more and we'll respond shortly. ## Stay Up to Date The TV landscape is changing quickly. 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