According to the ninth edition of Deloitte’s “Digital Democracy Survey,” released today, people now prefer to stream TV content (53%) rather than watch TV content live (45%). The report also found that viewers 14 to 25 (Trailing Millennials) watch more content on mobile devices than they do on actual TVs.
Another trend increasing in popularity across all age groups is binge-watching. Comcast has understood this for awhile now, which is why it has invested so heavily in expanding its Xfinity on Demand offerings. The Deloitte numbers back this strategy up: 68% of consumers engage in binge-watching (defined as viewing three ore more episodes in one sitting), and 31% of consumers do so at least once a week. More, dramas are the most popular bing-watching TV genre – which is a large part of the reason why all Shondaland shows and ‘Empire’ have enjoyed the success they have had.
“Personal viewing experiences and the ability to consume media at your own pace is significantly impacting how U.S. consumers value their content devices and services,” said Gerald Belson, vice chairman, Deloitte LLP and U.S. Media & Entertainment sector leader. “Today, binge-watching, and the ability to watch what we want, when we want, and where we want, is an exciting cultural phenomenon that is shifting consumer behaviors and attitudes towards curating an individual experience.”
Below, more key points from the report:
- 90% of consumers now multitask while watching TV.
- Millennials and Generation X (age 32-48) both engage in an average of three additional activities while watching television.
- Less than one-quarter of those watching television are engaging in multitasking activities that correlate with the ongoing program.
- Nearly 75% of consumers say that they tend to multitask more during television ads than during digital ads.
- 62% agreed that they would be willing to view advertising during their streaming video programming if it significantly reduced the cost of their subscription.
- 16% of Millennials indicated they had either cancelled their Pay TV subscription in the last 12 months or haven’t had Pay TV for more than a year.