Millennials watch more YouTube than TV, study says

By Chris Leo Palermino March 7, 2015

youtube millennials tv ian hecox anthony padilla by gage skidmore — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Sure, millennials aren’t watching as much TV as previous generations — but did you know why? According to a new study, the younger demographic spend more time watching YouTube and other online video outlets than TV because “they find it more enjoyable and relevant to their lives.”

Defy Media, a popular YouTube network, found that consumers between 13 and 24 watch an average of 11.3 hours of online video per week as opposed to just 8.3 hours of broadcast TV in a recent study.

Interestingly enough, the primary driver of online video consumption isn’t just ease in availability — it’s how it makes them feel. Fully 62 percent of respondents said digital content makes them “feel good” about themselves, as opposed to just 40 percent for TV. More millennials also felt that digital content is more relatable than TV (67 percent for digital content versus 41 percent for TV).

Explaining the disparity to Variety, Defy Media president Keith Richman said that “digital video is not as canned — it makes millennials feel better about who they are.”

This study corroborates with an early study from Variety that found teens 13 to 18 favor famous YouTubers and other digital stars over traditional Hollywood and music celebrities. From this study, the most influential figure for teens is comedy duo Smosh (pictured above; produced by Defy Media), followed by The Fine Bros. and PiewDiePie. These three online celebs had higher affinity scores than Jennifer Lawrence and Katy Perry, two teen-friendly celebrities you have heard of.

But teens still like popular, professional celebrities best — even if they are YouTube stars. “Things that stop your thumb-swiping are things your friends are liking and things that are professionally produced,” Richman said.

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Chris Leo Palermino

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Chris Leo Palermino is a music, tech, business, and culture journalist based between New York and Boston. He also contributes…

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