More Entertainment on Computer Than TV for Millenials

by Jack Loechner, Jan 29, 2009, 8:15 AM

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According to Deloitte's State of the Media Democracy survey, three-quarters of Millennials (ages 14 to 25) view the computer as more of an entertainment device than their television. Ed Moran, Deloitte director of product innovation, notes that "This (early-adopter) generation of consumers was the first to be raised on the Internet and is united across borders and cultures by their digital media preferences, so the implications for global marketers are unprecedented."  

Across five surveyed countries, Millennials are the most active in gaming, music and Internet use for socializing:

• 80% of Millennials are regularly searching, downloading and listening to music over the Internet
• 73% are also regularly socializing online (via social networking sites, chat rooms or message boards)
• 59% of Millennials use their mobile phone as an entertainment device, versus an average of 33% of all consumers.
• Millenials are spending one-third less time watching their television than are other generations.

Ken August, Deloitte vice chairman and U.S. Media and Entertainment leader, says "What is less clear is the degree to which Millennial spending power will ebb with the economic sea change we're experiencing. Boomers (ages 43 to 61) already possess more discretionary income than any other generation...

Consumers across geographies rank television advertising as having the most impact on their buying decisions. Magazine, online and newspaper ads occupy a second tier of influence across all countries, with radio advertising influence only placing as high as fifth:

Types of Advertising Most Influential on Buying Decisions (% of Internet Users in Selected Country, September-October 2008)
Ads On:	Brazil	Germany	Japan	UK	US
TV	75%	73%	90%	84%	88%
Magazine	57	50	47	54	49
Online	45	57	61	45	48
Newspaper	30	49	54	44	42
Radio	30	49	54	44	27
Outdoor	14	21	6	14	10
Social networking	8	2	6	6	8
In-theater	8	6	4	11	7
DVD	9	4	3	8	7
Blog	6	2	13	4	6
Video game	9	3	2	6	4
Mobile phone	19	3	7	5	3
Source: Deloitte State of Media Democracy, January 2009 (top three choices per respondent)

A small percentage of consumers surveyed in all five countries consider cell phone advertising the most influential form of advertising, ranking as high as fifth in Brazil. In Japan, ads in blogs are rated as fifth most influential, while in the United Kingdom, ads in video games and social networking sites are tied for ninth most influential. German consumers rank billboard or outdoor advertising as sixth most influential. Search engine results and banner advertising are the two most influential forms of internet advertising across all five countries.

Cell phones have evolved from being a status symbol for the business elite to a ubiquitous multifunctional accessory. A third of consumers surveyed across all five countries state that they use their cell phone as an entertainment device:

• 50% in Brazil
• 34% in Japan
• 33% in the United Kingdom
• 32% of in the United States
• 26% in Germany

Camera and text messaging are the most commonly used phone features overall, except in Japan where e-mailing is much more common than texting (88% versus 31% of Japanese consumers using these features frequently/occasionally).

Across all countries, consumers surveyed are using their cell phones to watch user-generated videos (20% in the United Kingdom and United States), and professionally created content such as TV, movies and news (33% in Japan.) Early-adopter Millennials are the primary drivers of feature applications including texting, video, gaming, music downloading and listening and social networking.

Television remains the top choice across all five countries for video viewing but the personal computer, cell phone and handheld portable devices are gaining in popularity among video consumers. Consumers surveyed not only view video on all these devices, but also watch television programming and download music, and they want the ability to move that content to any device seamlessly. 75% of respondents in Brazil want this ability, as do 49% in both the United States and Japan, 44% in the United Kingdom and 31% in Germany.

In a typical seven-day week, consumers online for just personal interests/social reasons include:

• Germany... 11.3 hours per week
• United States... 12 hours
• United Kingdom... 13.2  
• Japan... 16.4

The most eye-opening comparison, says the report, came from Brazil, where consumers spend approximately 9.8 hours a week watching television, but 19.3 hours a week pursuing personal/social interests online.

The online survey polled 8,824 consumers between the ages of 14 and 75, across five different countries: Brazil, Germany, Japan, United Kingdom and the United States.  The survey results have a margin of error of plus or minus five percentage points. 

 

For more information on the study from Deloitte, and how to get the complete study, please visit here.

 

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0 comments on "More Entertainment on Computer Than TV for Millenials".

1. Jackie Nixon from Mindful Insight Media
   

   commented on: February 3, 2009 at 9:47 a.m.

   Any clues as to why radio is higher in the UK, Germany and Japan than the US? In part, my guess is it is related to the lack of viable commercial formats targeted to Millennials. I am interested in hearing other comments/observations as well.

2. Brett Johansen
   

   commented on: February 12, 2009 at 9:57 a.m.

   Online surveys tend to favour online behaviour. If one survey internet behaviour online, one gets higher levels than doing the same survey face-to-face or by phone. Therefore, television is most prabable even stronger than these figures indicate.

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