Teens vastly prefer YouTube and Netflix to TV, don't mind ads, report finds
LOS ANGELES -- Sorry, cable TV: Unsurprisingly, young people's media diet is still skewed toward digital content.
According to a new survey from digital entertainment company Defy Media, Gen Z and young millennial consumers consider digital video "their daily lifeline."
The company's fourth annual "Youth Media Diet" report -- which Mashable got an early look at on Tuesday -- suggests that a majority (65%) of 13-to-24-year-olds watch content from the start of their day (such as before school or work) straight through to the evening hours.
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Those surveyed said digital video serves as a mood lifter (57%) and stress reliever (61%), as well as a way to stay up to date on what’s trending or new (60%), to learn how to do something (47%) or to lull oneself to sleep (44%).
"So many people talk about being connected -- they wake up and go to bed watching video in all these different platforms," Andy Tu, Defy Media’s executive vice president of marketing, told Mashable.
Defy, which partnered with Kelton Research andHunter Qualitative for the report, surveyed roughly 1,300 people nationwide, ages 13 to 24. The LA-based company powers popular, millennial-geared digital entertainment properties such as SMOSH and ScreenJunkies (which recently launched its own subscription streaming service, ScreenJunkies Plus).
About 54 responders were selected to complete 14-day journals chronicling the videos they watched daily, giving information on their habits and opinions. 27 of these people were interviewed in-person―eighteen ages 13-17 in “buddy pairs” and nine ages 19-24 individually. These interviews were followed with an online survey of 1,300 youth, ages 13-24, that was representative of the U.S. population by age, gender, ethnicity/race and parental education.
Here are four main takeaways from the report.
1. YouTube is still king.
An estimated 85% of respondents said YouTube is their No.1 go-to platform for video viewing. Netflix came in second with 66%, TV in third at 62% and Facebook with 53%.
"People still feel very connected to the creators," Tu said. "What we’re hearing is 'what’s on TV isn’t relevant to me.' I don’t think YouTube is going anywhere, it's still ubiquitous with social video."
2. Social video is on the rise.
YouTube may be No. 1, but video viewing on social media platforms continues to surge.
Facebook, for example, is used mostly by younger users for video consumption. About 60% of those surveyed said they use the platform for social and video, versus the 40% who use it for social purpose alone.
"Reported time spent watching video on social and free online sources combined equaled 12.1 hours weekly," according to the report.
That trumps viewing on subscription services such as Netflix, Amazon and Hulu, which tallied at 8.8 hours weekly. Cable/Satellite TV landed at 8.2 hours weekly.
Most younger viewers, ages 13 to 18, said their next “must-have” platform is Vine. The older set (ages 19 to 24) preferred Hulu and Blu-Ray/DVD.
3. The cost of cable isn't necessarily the problem.
About 38% of those surveyed said they did not have a cable/satellite box. But apparently, it's not just because of money.
"What we found is cable isn’t completely absolute," Tu said. "[The consumers] just said there wasn’t as much value associated with cable offerings."
About 40% say there are less expensive options, while 24% are just not interested in the content TV offers.
4. The youth doesn't mind ads ... much.
Last year, the Defy report found that 63% of consumers would try a product or brand recommended by a YouTube star, versus 48% by a TV/movie star.
"The audience is becoming more accepting to advertising," Tu noted.
Part of this is because these consumers are "a lot more savvy" about how their favorite digital stars make money (i.e. ads). One person surveyed said he turned the ad blocker off for his favorite Twitch creator because he wanted to support the star and "not take money out of their pocket."
And he wasn't alone. About 63% of those surveyed agreed that digital celebrities need ads on their channels to make a living, and 58% said they don’t mind watching ads to support them.
Still, they are picky about what kind of ads they have to consume.
Just over half (53% ) of those surveyed said they are OK with 1-minute spots. But 80% said they preferred a 15-second commercial.
And there's more good news for advertisers: About 87% approved of product placement in a video. About 89% said the 5–second intro featuring a brand sponsor is always or sometimes OK.
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Saba was a Los Angeles-based reporter who covers all things digital entertainment, including YouTube, streaming services and digital influencers. Prior to that, she spent two years at the Los Angeles Times covering entertainment for the Calendar and Company Town sections. Saba grew up in Santa Monica and graduated from Boston University with a B.S. in journalism and B.A. in political science. When not reporting, she is usually binge watching shows online or looking for new coffee shops to frequent.
