TV broadcasters/services are increasingly competing with social media platforms. 64% of UK TV/video viewers aged 16-34 prefer to watch videos from content creators on social media (eg YouTube, TikTok) over traditional TV shows. These viewers gravitate towards the authentic and relatability of social media personalities, alongside the immediate interactive nature of social media platforms. Many viewers also prefer unscripted shows to scripted ones. Streaming platforms can cater to this preference by including more unscripted creator-driven content to remain relevant and competitive.
Consumers have mixed feelings towards TV shows that use AI-generated content. Younger viewers are notably more open, with 50% of TV/video viewers aged 16-34 happy to watch TV shows partially written by AI. This highlights that some are ready to embrace AI’s potential role in TV and video. Brands can leverage AI to create more choice for younger viewers who want more storytelling options (eg multiple endings or dictating a character’s choices). By using AI to turn traditional storytelling into dynamic and participatory narratives, brands can create experiences that resonate with younger audiences’ preference for interaction and choice.
This report looks at the following areas:
- Trends in TV/video viewing, including social media video platforms, free TV and paid-for services.
- TV advert features consumers want to see more of, including music and celebrities/influencers.
- Interest in TV innovations, including younger viewers’ preference for interaction and choice when watching.
- Watching behaviours and consumer attitudes towards TV, including views on AI and the perception of the quality of content between paid-for and free TV/video streaming services.
Focus on unscripted and creator-driven content to cater to younger viewers’ preference for relatability and authenticity.
Nikita Shergill, Technology and Media Analyst
Market Definitions
This Report examines the future of the UK TV and video streaming market. It examines the trends in the use of video streaming compared to other forms of video viewing, content preferences, and the top three most important features in video adverts.
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Executive Summary
- Opportunities for the future of TV and video
- Use AI to prevent annoyance from repetitive adverts
- Make unscripted and interactive content for younger viewers
- Create more storytelling choices with AI
- What consumers want and why
- Prioritise music in TV advertising
- Graph 1: features of TV adverts would like to see more of, select up to three, 2024
- Technology unlocks online searches in TV fashion
- Graph 2: interest in an option to find and buy clothes from TV shows (eg via a QR code), by gender and age, 2024
- Traditional TV is competing with social media
- Graph 3: TV/video viewing behaviours, 2024
- Quality of free TV/video services is considered just as good as paid-for services
- Graph 4: TV/video viewing behaviours, 2024
- Emerging acceptance of AI-assisted writing in TV shows
- Innovation and marketing
- Netflix partners with Google
- Tubi launches in UK with ‘Watch hat you actually want to watch’ campaign
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Market Dynamics
- Market background
- Free TV services become the most viewed…
- Graph 5: service used to watch video or TV content in the last three months, 2024
- …however time spent watching broadcast TV continues to fall
- Graph 6: number of minutes watching TV per day, by video content, 2015-23
- Older Millennials increasingly watch social media videos
- Graph 7: watched a free social media video streaming service in the last three months, by generation, 2024
- 16-34s watch YouTube the most
- Graph 8: % of total viewing time per day, 2023
- Netflix continues to be the most popular SVoD service…
- Graph 9: paid-for video streaming services personally subscribed to, 2024
- …and experienced modest growth in expenditure
- Graph 10: total spend per month among Snoop users, 2022-24
- Disney+ has annual spike trend
- Graph 11: total spend per month on Disney+, 2022-24
- Younger generations subscribe to more streaming services
- Graph 12: repertoire of number of paid-for video streaming services personally subscribe to, 2024
- Subscribers of just one platform tend to have Netflix
- Social, environmental and legal factors
- AI becomes regulated to protect human creativity
- A third of viewers are happy to watch TV shows partly written by AI…
- Graph 13: I would be happy to watch TV shows that are partly written with AI, 2024
- …but scepticism remains
- Voice actors can license an AI replica of their voice
- Digital rights of deceased performers are protected in Californian bill
- Macro-economic factors
- Current financial wellbeing
- Graph 14: the financial wellbeing index, 2016-24
- Consumers have cancelled subscriptions due to the cost of living crises
- Consumer confidence for the year ahead
- Graph 15: the financial confidence index, 2016-24
- Traditional TV advertising is under threat…
- Graph 16: total TV advertising expenditure, 2020-24*
- … but opportunity for adverts to grow via SVOD services
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What Consumers Want and Why
- Interest in TV advert features
- Shorter TV adverts with catchy tunes are most appealing
- Graph 17: features of TV adverts would like to see more of, select up to three, 2024
- Make adverts resemble short drama episodes
- Graph 18: rank seeing more narrative adverts (ie that tell a story) as top-3 feature most want in TV/video adverts, by age, 2024
- Repetitive advert fatigue
- Limit irritation by using AI to create advert variation
- Younger generations expect to watch more TV in five years time, giving more opportunity for video adverts to target these age groups
- Capture the attention of younger consumers with shorter ads
- Graph 19: rank seeing more shorter adverts (eg 10 seconds) as top-three feature most want in TV/video adverts, by age, 2024
- Tolerance for adverts stems from delivering messages with precision and purpose
- Humorous adverts are key to connect with consumers
- Graph 20: factors that draw viewers’ attention to TV adverts (ranked top three), 2023
- Graph 21: consumer perceptions of TV adverts, 2023
- Focus on music in advertising above celebrity/influencer partnerships
- More adventurous music in TV adverts will appeal to younger viewers…
- Graph 22: consumers who often or freuquently listen to the following, by generation, 2024
- …however brands need to be careful of cultural appropriation
- Social media influencers are more effective than TV celebrity endorsements
- Strive for more authentic representation of ethnic groups in adverts
- Graph 23: rank seeing more TV/video adverts with celebrities/influencers they like as top-3 feature most want from TV/video adverts, by ethnicity, 2024
- Interest in TV innovations
- Multiple endings can encourage repeat viewing and innovative storytelling experiences
- Graph 24: interest in TV show innovations, 2024
- Younger consumers are interested in choice…
- Graph 25: interest in choosing your own adventure TV shows (ie dictate a character’s choices), by age, 2024
- … but others prefer passive viewing
- Use AI to cater to younger audiences’ preference for choice
- Younger consumers enjoy interactive experiences whilst watching
- Reality TV with choice
- Deliver compelling narratives in a limited timeframe
- Graph 26: interest in TV shows with short episodes, by generation , 2024
- Bite-size TV shows
- Create more responsive children’s TV characters through interactive chatbots
- Graph 27: interest in talking to an AI chatbot based on a TV show/film character (eg Harry Potter, Chandler Bing), by children in household, 2024
- TV shows inspire fashion choices…
- … and technology can unlock shopping opportunities
- Watching behaviours
- Consumers split their attention across multiple devices when watching TV/video content
- Graph 28: TV/video viewing behaviours, 2024
- Threads, Twitch and Snapchat users are most active in discussing and sharing content related to TV shows
- Engage Snapchat and Threads users for real-time interaction with TV and video content
- Graph 29: “I typically use my smartphone while watching TV/video content on another screen (eg looking at social media while watching a TV show)”, by social media user, 2024
- Minority groups seek entertainment that reflects their own cultural and social contexts
- Adapt to younger consumers’ preference for watching content creators
- QR codes create a direct path from ad exposure to consumer engagement
- Graph 30: TV/video viewing behaviours, 2024
- Quality of free TV/video services hold strong against SVOD
- Graph 31: “I think the quality of content on free TV/video streaming services (eg BBC iPlayer, YouTube) is just as good as paid-for video streaming services (eg Netflix, Disney+)”, by SVOD subscribers, users of free social media video services, and users of free TV streaming services, 2024
- Free streaming platforms offer quality content that rivals paid services
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Innovation And Marketing Trends
- Competitive strategies
- Amazon brings Apple TV+ to Prime Video
- Netflix partners with Google
- Amazon Prime Video enters football broadcasting
- Venu Sport delayed by lawsuit
- Shop Amazon on TikTok
- Launch activity and innovation
- Tubi launches in the UK
- Watch what you actually want to watch campaign by Tubi
- Video forensic broadcasting
- YouTube addresses volume fluctuations
- Freely launches in the UK
- Selling Sunset series is turned into an interactive game
- Netflix Games: Selling Sunset
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Brand Research
- Netflix delivers the best experience
- Apple TV+ lags well behind market leaders in trust and differentiation
- Graph 32: attitudes towards and usage of selected brands operating in the video streaming market , 2024
- Amazon Prime perks adds to its appeal
- Graph 33: brand personality – micro image, 2024
- Netflix and Disney+ are worth paying more for
- Graph 34: attitudes, by brand, 2024
- Graph 35: brand personality – micro image, 2024
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Appendix
- Report scope and definitions
- Market definition
- Abbreviations and terms
- Consumer research questions
- Consumer research methodology
- Snoop SpendMapper methodology
- Nielsen Ad Intel coverage
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