Adam FlomenbaumA new report from Hub Research, and media and entertainment insights company, found that audiences as a whole still overwhelmingly favor TV shows as their primary form of entertainment, even with the rise of social media and online videos. While this holds for overall audiences, the 18-24 demo prefers gaming and online video to watching TV.
When audiences are watching TV, they continue to seek out scripted programming, a major reason why Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon continue to invest so heavily in the format. Hub found that Hulu watchers turn to the service mainly for shows from other networks and Amazon viewers turn to the service mainly for movies; Netflix viewers, though, are mainly using the service for its original programming slate. According to the research, original programming is still a significant driver for both Hulu and Amazon too.
“Given that we’re in the much-touted era of `peak TV’, it’s not surprising that TV shows are consumers’ first choice for entertainment,” said Peter Fondulas, co-author of the study and principal at Hub. “But there’s an equally important trend in our findings: Even with more high-quality TV shows to choose from than ever before, TV faces fierce competition among young consumers, who spend the vast majority of their entertainment time with non-TV options—like social media, online video, and gaming.”
The research was conducted among 1,774 US consumers with broadband and who watch at least five hours of TV per week.
Grace LeDuc
