Content comes in many forms and in overwhelming volumes today, providing consumers with a dizzying array of choices for getting entertained and staying informed. The two platforms that are currently prevailing for most audiences include TV (in all of its many forms) along with social. And social is taking precedence over TV for younger consumers (used at least once per week by 87% of those ages 18-24, as compared to 66% for TV), indicating it will rise further in the years ahead.
Social has also become an increasingly important source for news, used by 54% of consumers overall – and 80% of those ages 18-24. While different demographics are mixing and matching media according to their own preferences, their choices are resonating from the media sector to the world beyond, as the information they take in drives their perceptions – and votes.
This Report analyzes consumers’ behavior and attitudes regarding media, content and news and identifies opportunities to engage with them and deliver higher quality experiences. Following their lead and developing innovative models for monetizing content and ensuring its safety will be critical for success.
This report looks at the following areas:
- Competitive factors in the digital content space
- Importance of advertising as a key revenue stream for digital content
- Most popular traditional and digital channels for content consumption
- Most popular traditional and digital sources for news
- Attitudes and preferences regarding news media
- Behavior and attitudes by key demographics including age, gender, and education level
- Strategies for content providers and news organizations to connect with consumers
Social media and TV continues to dominate driving the rise of digital ad revenue and the need for innovative monetization strategies in the evolving media landscape.
Jason Praw, Head of Canadian Research
Market Definitions
This Report covers American consumers’ behaviors and attitudes regarding traditional and digital content. For the purposes of this report, traditional content includes linear TV, print media, and radio; digital content includes online/streaming audio and video and interactions with social media.
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Executive Summary
- What you need to know
- Consumer trends: key takeaways
- Market predictions
- Opportunities
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Market Dynamics
- Market context
- TV, mobile hold their own in a fragmented world
- Digital takes an increasing slice of the advertising pie
- Graph 1: advertising spend by platform, 2023 ($B)
- Ads support digital content – but is it enough?
- Total US revenues and fan chart forecast digital advertising, at current prices, 2018-28
- Total US digital ad spend, by segment, at current prices, 2019-23 (est)
- Paid subscriber growth tapers off for most streamers
- Graph 2: global paid streaming subscribership, by service, 2021-2024
- Content spend stabilizes
- Graph 3: estimated global content investment, by provider, 2020-2024
- Market drivers
- Mobile grabs the focus – but TV hangs on
- Graph 4: screen usage and primary screen, 2023
- Social continues to climb – especially when it comes to video
- Graph 5: social media sites visited daily, 2021 and 2024
- Younger consumers more open to paying for influencer content
- Graph 6: "I monetarily support influencers I follow" (% agree), by age and income, 2024
- A generational divide in trust for social media news
- Will AI change the game?
- Graph 7: future desires for entertainment, by age, 2024
- Cable news grays out
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Consumer Insights
- Consumer fast facts
- Consumer fast facts (cont'd)
- Free media usage
- Social takes the lead
- Secondary free media usage see much lower usage
- TV resonates with older audiences
- Graph 8: free traditional media used at least once per week, by age and gender, 2024
- Black and Asian consumers are less likely to rely on traditional media…
- Graph 9: free traditional media used at least once per week, by race and Hispanic origin, 2024
- …but more likely to use digital media
- Graph 10: free digital media used at least once per week, by race and Hispanic origin, 2024
- Use social to reach 25-34 year olds
- Graph 11: free digital media used at least once per week, by age, 2024
- Dads are peak digital users
- Graph 12: free digital media used at least once per week, moms vs dads, 2024
- Paid media usage
- Video dominates paid media
- Paid media usage frequency
- Younger men mix and match media
- Graph 13: paid traditional media used at least once per week, by age and gender, 2024
- Income clearly a factor for traditional media
- Graph 14: paid traditional media used at least once per week, by age and income, 2024
- Streaming a better way to reach the less affluent
- Graph 15: paid digital media used at least once per week, by age and income, 2024
- Black, Hispanic consumers are digital media mavens
- Graph 16: paid digital media used at least once per week, by race and Hispanic origin, 2024
- Social media usage
- Social is now the best way to reach many audiences
- Multitasking drives usage for many
- Graph 17: "I often use social media (eg YouTube, TikTok) while…", 2024
- Younger social media users are more likely to multitask
- Graph 18: "I often use social media (eg YouTube, TikTok) while…", by age, 2024
- Social media bleeds into real social life for parents
- Graph 19: "I often use social media (eg YouTube, TikTok) while…", moms vs dads, 2024
- Asians focus on social
- Graph 20: "I often use social media (eg YouTube, TikTok) while…", by race and Hispanic origin, 2024
- News sources
- TV still the king
- Graph 21: news sources, 2024
- Social now the dominant choice for younger consumers
- Graph 22: news sources, by age, 2024
- Educated consumers mix and match
- Graph 23: news sources, by education level, 2024
- YouTube, X, best channels for informing younger men
- Graph 24: social news sources (select), by age, 2024
- Older users connect with familiar sources online
- Graph 25: other online news sources, by age, 2024
- The challenge of connected with less-educated consumers
- Graph 26: online news sources, high school education or less vs overall, 2024
- Interest in news topics
- Think local
- Men are more engaged with hard news
- Graph 27: news topics of interest, by gender, 2024
- Diverse interests for educated consumers
- Graph 28: news topics of interest, by education level, 2024
- Men, parents most likely to think global
- Graph 29: "I pay more attention to international affairs than American ones" (% agree), by age and gender, 2024
- Attitudes and behaviors regarding news media
- Older consumers trust less
- Graph 30: attitudes regarding news quality (% agree), by age, 2024
- Consumers want just the facts
- Graph 31: attitudes regarding news quality (% agree), by age, 2024
- Educated consumers seek out the truth
- Men take action when it comes to news
- Graph 32: attitudes regarding news sourcing/sharing (% agree), by age, 2024
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Marketing Strategies
- Rethinking the bundle
- More than one way to build a bundle
- Patreon empowers creators
- Podcasts try subscriptions
- Just the facts
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Opportunities
- Think FAST
- Tell the story with TikTok – for now?
- Help consumers evaluate the news
- AI: a way to spread misinformation?
- AI: a way to make news better?
- What's next for X?
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Appendix
- Market definition
- Consumer research methodology
- Generations
- Abbreviations and terms
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