Video is making impressive gains across all digital devices, and recent research demonstrates how consumer behavior is shifting and embracing a multitude of screens. According to the Consumer Technology Association’s (CTA) Video Consumption Trends Report(link is external), non-traditional screens (i.e., computer, tablet, smartphone) are the preferred choice of American online adults for watching streaming content.
As choices proliferate, some are trading one type of media for another. For example, throughout 2015, 11 percent migrated away from Pay TV, cancelling their subscription and citing a variety of factors from cost to waning interest in traditional television programming. However, while 46 percent of Americans used paid streaming services in 2015 (up from 7 percent in 2014), Pay TV services still lead, with 61 percent accessing television through telecom, cable and satellite subscriptions.
As a 2015 analysis(link is external) from eMarketer indicates, the total screen time Americans are taking in, on average, is rising. Paul Verna, senior analyst at eMarketer explains: “The increase in overall screen time highlights the complexity of today’s media ecosystem… the reality is that digital video is growing not at the expense of TV, but because video content is more popular than ever.”
This is certainly true among millennials who are actively using multiple screens. As Telecompetitor(link is external) discusses, millennials (18-34) are accessing a second screen in the following ways:
- Nearly 9 in 10 young adult millennials, or 88 percent, use second screens to enhance their first screen experience.
- Seventy-one percent say social TV use is important to them while watching video content – a number that is 40 percent higher than those 35 and up.
- Seven in 10 say they view other content on a second screen during commercials – 32 percent higher than older online adults.
Overall, 48 percent of online adults surveyed said they access a second screen for the following:
- Fifty percent utilize their mobile devices to find information about the first-screen content they are watching.
- Forty-eight percent view second-screen content during commercial breaks on first screens.
- Forty-three percent use their mobile devices to interact via social media, related to the content they are watching or otherwise.
Source: US Telecom Media
