According to Nielsen, 1.7 million adults in the Las Vegas area have access to the internet, equivalent to 97.2% of the population. On average, local consumers are spending 10.8 hours per week online.

Las Vegas millennials, the first generation that grew up in a digital world, spend considerably more time online. Nielsen reports that, on average, Las Vegas's 25-39-year-old consumers are clocking 13.6 hours connected to the internet.

So, how are Las Vegas consumers spending their time online?

According to Nielsen, streaming audio and video content, social networking, checking the weather, and banking are the top online activities for Las Vegas consumers each month.

Each week, according to Nielsen, 68.6% of Las Vegas consumers watch video programs that aren't delivered over-the-air by local TV stations.  They aren't coming from a local cable company or by satellite.  Instead, these programs are being streamed directly to viewers via an internet connection.

This type of streamed video content is called OTT (Over-The-Top-Television) or CTV (Connected-Television). These two terms are sometimes are often used interchangeably but do have a subtle difference.

OTT generally means the video is watched on a small device like a computer, tablet, or smartphone.  CTV, on the other hand, typically means the content is viewed on a smart-TV or a regular television using a streaming device like a Roku or Amazon stick.

In Las Vegas, OTT/CTV has exceeded the weekly reach of local newspapers and streaming audio services such as Pandora and Spotify. The medium is rapidly approaching the reach of local cable and broadcast TV stations.

Las Vegas area business owners are expected to invest $473-million during 2021 to advertise to consumers connected to the internet. This forecast was produced by Borrell Associates, a company that tracks business advertising expenditures across the country.

These online marketing dollars will be spent on banner advertising, search engine marketing, email, as well as audio and video advertising. This is all to capture the attention of shoppers and buyers as they go about their connected days.

According to Nielsen, 96% of adult consumers in the Las Vegas area have access to the internet. They connect, primarily, with desktop and laptop computers; smartphones; or tablets.

Ninety-four percent of Las Vegas adults spend at least one hour per week online, with most spending at least 10 hours connected.

Over 95% of Las Vegas adults have access to the internet, according to Nielsen. Almost 65% of these consumers spend more than five hours a week connected.

Nielsen reports that Las Vegas consumers go online to stay connected to friends and family; research products and services; learn the latest news, and obtain directions to where they are going and know what the weather will be when they get there.  

Here are some of the many reasons why Las Vegas internet users go online each month

• Social Media: 75%
• Weather: 51%
• Online Banking: 44%
• Maps/Directions: 41%
• Product Reviews: 37%
• Restaurant Reviews: 30%
• Current Events: 28%
• Sports Scores/News: 21%
• Job Search: 15%
• Real Estate: 12%

And, of course, there is shopping.  Over the past six months, according to Nielsen, 75.9% of Las Vegas consumers shopped online for every imaginable product and service including, cars, golf clubs, office supplies, wedding rings, mattresses, tires, medicine, shoes, socks, and eyeglasses.

To reach local consumers while they are online, Las Vegas businesses will spend $429 million for digital advertising in 2020, according to Borrell Associates.  Here is how the money is being spent:

Before we explain AVOD, it is important to understand SVOD.

Las Vegas small business owners may not be familiar with SVOD, but chances are they let it into their homes and onto their phones.

SVOD is the abbreviation for Subscription Video On Demand. That is the collective name for streaming networks like Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and Amazon Prime.  For a monthly fee, these services provide commercial-free access to TV shows, original content, and movies.

These SVOD networks are delivered to viewers' phones, tablets, computers, and smart-TVs via the internet and not over-the-air or cable systems.

SVOD makes up a significant part of what advertisers refer to as OTT (Over-The-Top-Television) and CTV (Connected-Television). OTT/CTV is video-programming content that viewers can only watch on smartphones, tablets, computers, smart-TVs, Amazon Firesticks, and Roku Sticks.  Nielsen reports that 92.7% of Las Vegas adults own at least one of these devices.

Advertising on Las Vegas television and cable is becoming less attractive to local business owners as viewers rapidly defect to alternative video entertainment sources including, Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, Amazon and Disney+.

Collectively these streaming services are referred to as Over-The-Top Television (OTT) and Connected-TV (CTV). Viewers can only access this OTT and CTV content via smartphone, tablets, computers, smart-TVs, Amazon Fire Sticks, and Roku Sticks, Nielsen reports that 92.7% of Clark County adults own at least one these devices. Furthermore, they are using them.

According to Nielsen, OTT and CTV networks now reach 44.8% of all Las Vegas consumers every week.