VevoWe all know that streaming shows online has become bigger and more popular than ever, with services such as Netflix and Hulu launching more and more original programming. But it's not just online shows that are pulling eyes away from TV shows; it's music videos, too.
Vevo commissioned Nielsen to investigate the kind of viewership music videos put out by well known artists gather, and it turns out they rival that of network TV shows. For example, Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood" pulled in 18 million views in seven days, which only NCIS: Los Angeles was able to surpass, according to Variety.
Drake's "Hotline Bling" also drew in big numbers upon its release, racking up 6 million U.S. viewers that week. Rihanna also managed to get about the same number with the music video for "Bitch Better Have My Money." Vevo also found that viewers ages 18-49 were twice as likely to watch her video than catch CBS' Big Brother.
"We wanted to do an apples to apples comparison," Vevo VP of research Andrea Zapata told Variety. For those wondering whether music videos and TV shows could be considered "apples to apples," Zapata explained that many people watching music videos start with the new song but ultimately end up diving deeper into the artist's other music videos—similar to a binge.
"It's actually the catalog that does a lot of the heavy lifting," she added.
Vevo's mission wasn't to prove that TV was a dying/dead medium. Instead, the music video streaming site wanted to establish how much people are testing their loyalties to different media. "The audiences are shifting," she said. "We are in a shifting landscape."