What’s the best media to reach those customers in the market for a new car?

Well, when it comes to TV and the Web, these buyers in the market flock to broadcast news and sports programs, both live on TV and streaming online.

According to the J.D. Power 2016 U.S. Automotive Media and Marketing Report  — Winter edition, sports continue to be a hot spot for auto advertisers to place their marketing  material.

Though traditional TV is now facing competition from Internet content and video steaming services, according to the study, the top two types of shows new-vehicle drivers watch the most remains the same from last year: new/news programming out with front with 46 percent market share, followed by sports at 42 percent. Situational comedies came in at 33 percent, and dramas garnered 28 percent.

The study is based on a survey of 27,308 principle drivers of recently purchased or leased new vehicles.

"Sports may be one of the last remaining juggernauts in broadcast advertising, because it is the type of programming that people have a tendency to watch live," said Dave Sargent, vice president of global automotive at J.D. Power. "That is why automakers place so many commercials during sports programs — people are watching live and are likely to see the ads."

And for those auto marketers focusing on Web advertisements, among new-vehicle drivers, a significant 64 percent are using video streaming services such as YouTube, Netflix or Amazon Prime.

And this number jumps among the younger crowds. According to the study, drivers under 35 years old are more likely to use streaming video services (92 percent), followed by those between the ages of 35 and 74 (79 percent) and 55 years and older (49 percent).

Furthermore, 47 percent of new-vehicle drivers use their DVR to record programs and fast-forward through commercials — definitely something to think about for auto advertisers with TV spots.

So if TV is your focus, of the 23 sports measured in the study, pro football is, not surprisingly, the most frequently watched sport among new-vehicle drivers (42 percent), followed by college football (29 percent) and baseball (20 percent).

Interestingly, drivers of domestic brands, specifically Cadillac, Chrysler and Ram, tend to watch professional football more than drivers of Asian or European vehicles, according to the study.

Auto advertisers will be spending big on the upcoming Super Bowl on Feb. 7, and some will spend as much at $5 million for a 30-second spot.

"The Super Bowl is unique in that a large portion of the audience watches as much for the commercials as for the game itself," said Sargent. "Many of the more memorable commercials we've seen during previous Super Bowls have been from automakers."

Here are a few more stats from the report that might be beneficial for those planning auto advertising campaigns:

• The study found that certain types of television programming attract certain brand owners, so it is especially important to advertise to the target audience. According to th study, Scion and Mitsubishi drivers watch more adult animation shows, while Porsche or Jaguar drivers tend to watch financial programs. And for Chevrolet and Jeep drivers, they tend to watch reality/competition shows.
• The top TV shows among new-vehicle drivers are"The Walking Dead," "NCIS," "The Voice" and "The Big Bang Theory,” according to the study.
• New-vehicle drivers between the ages of 35 and 54 and those with a household income of $100,000 or more are most likely to hit the fast-forward button through TV commercials.