Streaming Gains For Multicultural & Boomer Audiences

Live TV isn’t dead yet but it’s taken a major hit across all viewing audiences, according to a new study released by ThinkNow, a technology driven cultural insights agency. The annual study, ThinkNow Media™ Report 2018, finds that live TV viewing has dropped from 68% to 48%, a whopping 20-point decline across all audiences. The nationwide online omnibus survey fielded in April 2018 reaching 1,311 consumers, ages 18 – 64, is a representative sample of U.S. Hispanics, African-Americans, Asians and non-Hispanic whites regarding media consumption and gaming habits.

“Streaming services like Netflix have changed the way consumers watch their favorite TV shows. To reach audiences, marketers need to think about how, when, and where viewers consume media and the cultural factors that influence those decisions,” says Mario X. Carrasco, Co-Founder and Principal, ThinkNow.  

Live TV Viewing Declines   

Live network TV is losing ground as the most often choice for watching programming across all segments dropping from 45% in 2017 to 31% in 2018, a sizeable 14-point decline. African-Americans had the largest percentage point decline in live TV viewing, a 22-point decline from 75% in 2017 to 53% in 2018.

Netflix Continues to Soar

Netflix has steadily gained more consumers as the majority of Hispanics (71%) watch TV programming through the streaming service compared to 59% of non-Hispanic whites, 63% of African-Americans and 55% of Asians. Additionally, 35% of Hispanics report they watch TV programming most often using Netflix. Almost half (47%) of all consumers perceive streaming as the future of television and a reason why they prefer watching shows through streaming services.

Boomers Join Cord-Cutting Trend

While Millennials started the streaming trend, Baby Boomers and even Gen X are catching up, watching significantly less programs when they air on network TV.  Boomers have experienced a drop in live TV viewing habits with a 21-point decline compared to 2017. The survey found the switch to streaming will continue to grow: 4 in 10 consumers predict they will stream most or all of their TV shows online by 2020.

To view and download report CLICK HERE.
   

 

 

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