The trust gap between legacy media and social media is growing, as disinformation, fake news, and a lack of regulation knocks people’s confidence in creator-led content, research finds.
European consumers trust radio, linear TV, cinema and print due to their established credibility, finds RTL AdAlliance’s The New Life of the Living Room study*, which provides insight into evolving viewing habits in 15 markets including the US.
Why legacy media matters
While the media landscape and audiences continue to fragment as content is consumed across a rising number of devices, television – and other legacy media – remains a vital channel for advertisers. Research shows that TV tends to deliver much more stable levels of visual attention throughout an ad than online ads, and it helps build mental availability.
As a result, effectiveness expert Peter Field suggests that TV should take at least 45-50% of a brand’s budget to influence a brand’s pricing power and profitability.
Key findings
- TikTok is the least trusted of the major social media platforms [see image], with 23% of respondents saying they would trust an ad from an unknown brand on the app; by contrast 67% would trust a similar ad on the radio, while 66% would trust one on TV.
- Most Europeans turn to broadcast TV for news (59%), sports (44%) and entertainment (44%), while SVOD is the top choice for movies and series (63%).
- 53% of viewers perceive watching videos as the best way to stay informed.
- 59% turn to broadcast content first, either on linear TV or on BVOD platforms, when they turn on their TV set.
- The US leads the way in watching ad-supported streaming content: 35% on Netflix and 30% on Disney+.
- 45% say they watch linear TV daily, with 36% viewing SVOD daily (a figure that rises to 49% in the US).
*Over 12,500 respondents aged between 18-64 participated in the quantitative survey (Feb 2025), which covered 15 markets, including the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and the US, as well as newly added Poland, Switzerland, and Austria.
