-->
Save your seat for Streaming Media NYC this May. Register Now!

Time-Shifted Content More Popular Than Live for Millennials: CTA

Article Featured Image

Whether they're watching it from a DVR or a streaming service, millennials are more likely to watch time-shifted than live video. According to a study by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), adults age 18 to 34 spend 55 percent of their viewing time on time-shifted content and only 45 percent on live. That figure reverses for those over 35, who spend 66 percent of their viewing time with live TV and 35 percent on time-shifted programming.

While time-shifting is good for program enjoyment, it's bad for advertisers. The CTA finds that only 38 percent will watch a full ad if they aren't required to. Not that they're that keyed in to the advertising, anyway: 57 percent simply ignore an ad when they're forced to watch one. A full two-thirds (66 percent) will hit the Skip button on a video ad as soon as it appears.

One bright spot for advertisers is that millennials are more willing to share personal information with advertisers if it means seeing relevant messages. Among all viewers, 67 percent willingly share their viewing habits with sites or apps they turn to often, while 64 percent want networks to know their viewing habits so they see relevant ads.

"Millennials clearly lead the pack in consuming streaming content—watching it when and where they want and, often, at the advice of predictive recommendations," said Steve Koenig, senior director of market research at the CTA. "The influence of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and widespread connectivity enables rapid discovery of new content and allows every generation to consume it how they want."

These findings come from CTA's Exploring Preferences for Personalized Content Consumption Experiences Study, which questioned 2,500 U.S. adults in April and May.

Streaming Covers
Free
for qualified subscribers
Subscribe Now Current Issue Past Issues
Related Articles

Vice Takes $450M in Funding, Plans Massive Millennial Library

The millennial media company isn't known for scripted content, but that could change with the debut of Vice Studios. Is an IPO in the near future?

Video Piracy Report: Millennials Don't Know They're Stealing

A survey finds that 69 percent of young adults use some form of video piracy, and 24 percent think that certain types of piracy are actually legal.

One-Quarter of Millennial-Led Households Are OTT-Only: Parks

Young adults show a greater-than-average preference for streaming video services, and are less likely to have pay subscriptions than older adults.