Older millennials prefer streaming TV, while Gen Z opts for user-generated content
With dozens of options available from Netflix to Disney+ to Max, the streaming wars are in full effect. But streamers might have a bigger problem on their hands than just their competitors.
A new survey reveals that there’s a huge generational divide between the types of content that Gen Z and millennials like to watch most — and Gen Z may be falling out of love with streaming.
That’s according to the results of a new survey from marketing firm InMobi, which polled more than 1,000 U.S. consumers. Here are some of the key findings:
Gen Z (18- to 24-year-olds) overwhelmingly prefer user-generated content (UGC) to streaming content. Specifically, 61% of Gen Z said UGC content is the content they enjoyed the most. This is followed by music/podcasts, gaming and only then TV.
Younger millennials (ages 25-34) also said they prefer UGC to other types of content, although television and gaming ranked closely as well.
Older millennials (ages 35-44) preferred television most, with 67% saying it was their favorite form of digital entertainment.
The results are interesting because they seem to reveal that the content that was popular when the consumer was young becomes the most preferred type of content throughout the consumer’s life. When Gen Z grew up, creator-run YouTube channels and TikTok videos were already the norm. Millennials, on the other hand, grew up in an era when television still dominated the media landscape.
What these results mean for the future of streamers is uncertain. But when it comes to brands wanting to capture the attention of Gen Z, doing so through user-generated content appears to be the way to go.