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TV is not dead. While young people spend their days on their smartphones, they haven't given up on "the small screen," it seems. According to a report, young people could even prefer watching video content on their TV set to their smartphone.
TV is not dead. While young people spend their days on their smartphones, they haven't given up on "the small screen," it seems. According to a report, young people could even prefer watching video content on their TV set to their smartphone.
For some, TV might seem to be on its way out. But, despite the success of smartphones, the TV set is still as important as ever, even among younger people, it seems. According to the "WE TV and Entertainment Report" report from YPulse, surveying approximately 2,500 people aged 13 to 39 in Europe, 76% of them own a television set, compared to 88% who own a smartphone. In fact, TV ownership outstrips computers, owned by 62% of respondents, and game consoles (58%). According to the report, Millennials and Gen Z own an average of nine technology devices.
In North America, the picture is somewhat different, since only three in five (59%) young people say they own a TV. This could be because young people in Europe are still more likely to watch TV shows in the 'old-fashioned' way, unlike their North American counterparts. In Europe, 63% of young consumers use the television to watch shows on cable, satellite or fiber each week, compared to 46% of those in North America.
More than content, it is really the 'television' device itself that continues to seduce young people. In fact, 63% say that they watch video content weekly on their TV, making it the top device, ahead of smartphones (60%) or laptops (40%). In Europe, Generation Z and Millennials spend an average of 10 hours per week watching content on their TV. In particular, they prefer to use their TV to watch streaming services. According to separate YPulse research (the WE Media Consumption Report), Netflix comes first among the services parents prefer for their children when it comes to watching video content, at 53%, followed by Disney+ at 41%.
Still, Millennials are more attached to their TVs, as 57% of them, compared to 37% of Gen Z, are more likely to be using this kind of device, the report notes. And this seems to be a habit they are passing on to their children, as 55% of Gen Y parents report that their offspring use TV to watch video content more often than their smartphones or tablets.
