Young adults less likely to subscribe to pay-TV services

Young adults still living at home are more likely to subscribe to an online video service like Netflix or Hulu Plus when they move out, rather than take a “legacy pay-TV service” like cable or satellite, according to new research.

The Diffusion Group’s (TDG’s) US study into media behaviour of ‘late millenials’ found that, among adult broadband users aged between 18 and 24, some 49% of those who live at home with their parents said they were highly inclined to sign up for an online subscription video service once they move out on their own, compared to only 31% who said they were highly inclined to sign up for a traditional pay-TV service when they set up their own household – a difference of 58%.

“While this data can be spun to rationalise a number of arguments, the simplest insight may be the most profound. The very fact that young consumers perceive online video services as somehow more desirable or necessary than incumbent pay-TV services says volumes about the future of video,” says Michael Greeson, president and principal analyst for TDG.