Gen Z consumers look to smartphones for video

Nearly twice as many Gen Z consumers use a smartphone to watch video in a typical week as they use a traditional MVPD set top box, according to the latest edition of Hub’s annual Video Redefined survey.

The overwhelming use of smartphones by this cohort means that the proportion of Gen Z’s entertainment time spent watching TV is less than half that of viewers over 35. Gaming, non-premium video and social media are on par with TV and movies among young viewers, according to Hub, based on a survey conducted among 1,900 US consumers with broadband, age 13-74. Interviews were completed in December 2023

Older viewers are not wholly immune from these changes in viewing patterns. While older viewers still watch more traditional TV, a third of them admit that their use of non-premium video has cut into their regular TV viewing time.

Gen Z viewers spend nearly two hours a day watching non-premium video (short form, user generated and ‘influencer’ video content), more than older adults. However people aged 35 and up are watching significantly more non-premium video than they were a year ago – two more hours a week – largely to keep up to date on news and other current topics of interest.

People who use multiple social platforms look for different things from each. TikTok delivers on short, trendy entertainment, while YouTube’s library is a place to go for informative content, according to Hub.

“There’s no doubt that younger viewers are not as devoted to traditional TV and movies as previous generations have been. This presents one more challenge to legacy media companies as they navigate the future of the video ecosystem,” said Mark Loughney, senior consultant for Hub.

“It would be futile for them to try to claw back time from non-traditional platforms, so instead media companies should look to social media as opportunities to reach Gen Z with premium content.”