CES 2015: New report confirms millennials prefer streaming content to watching TV

Make sure you’re sitting down when you’re reading this, as otherwise you might faint from surprise. A new study presented at CES has confirmed that millennials like streaming video more than traditional TV. I don’t believe it! Oh wait, I do, and it’s not surprising at all.

But it’s still interesting to see it in black and white, particularly at an event where so many thin/curvy/smart HD TVs have been on show. Not that 18-34 year olds are abandoning their sets just yet: 55% still watch most of their TV on an actual TV as opposed to laptops, tablets, and smartphones, but the Consumer Electronics Association and online content industry organisation NATPE, who commissioned the research, expect that the balance will continue to shift toward mobile devices and streaming content, especially as half of respondents said they preferred to watch on a laptop. (TV was the favourite screen for only 19%.)

Seventy percent of viewers of all ages who have WiFi have streamed a TV show in the last six months, but for millennials, that number’s 86%. The younger generation also value their Netflix subscriptions more than their satellite or cable services, and consider DVRs essential. (Because they are.) NAPTE’s CEO Rod Perth emphasises that TV networks and content producers have an opportunity to use this info to think up new, innovative ways to engage with viewers.

But these findings are apparently just a taste of a much more in-depth report into audiences and streaming content which will be launched at NATPE’s 2015 conference in Miami later this month. Check out their website to stay informed.

This week we’re bringing you all the latest news, videos and gossip from CES 2015 in Las Vegas. Check out the CES 2015 page to keep up to date and subscribe to our YouTube channel to see hands-on news with our editor Holly Brockwell from the show floor.