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Smaller, Mobile Screens Dominate Video For Youth

by Daisy Whitney , Op-Ed Contributor, July 23, 2015

Not only are Millennials focusing their viewing time on digital devices, younger kids are concentrating on the even smaller screen.

While media consumers watch more than eight hours of video each day, most of them are increasing their time with streaming video and digital viewing and lowering their time watching traditional TV, according to a new report from research firm SmithGeiger. As an example, 18- to 34-year-old Millennials allocate only 18% of their video time to traditional TV, with 61% of their video viewing occurring on digital devices. Even for adults in the 35 to 44 age range, traditional viewing accounts for only 27% of their total viewing time. These figures suggest that consumers have quickly come to rely on streaming video as one of their primary means to consume video, said the research group.

Likewise, the younger generation is quite conversant with mobile viewing. More than half of kids between two and 12 prefer mobile devices to TV for viewing TV, according to a Miner & Co. study. Mobile phones are easier to use, more portable, and give them a sense of independence, according to a study of parents with kids who watch at least some video on a mobile device.

These findings are not surprising per se, but they do underscore the growing importance of mobile phones, and the likelihood that they will become the de facto viewing screen for many consumers moving forward.

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4 comments about "Smaller, Mobile Screens Dominate Video For Youth".

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Mai Kok from So What, July 23, 2015 at 12:09 p.m.
"Mobile phones are easier to use, more portable, and give them a sense of independence,"

Wrong conclusion. I read and saw the study's infographic - the study says kids prefer mobile devices, not exclusive mobile phones. And where you got the "reasons", it was titled "top reasons kids prefer mobile devices" - ergo, not exclusively mobile phones, rather inclusive of tablets. And the study further says that kids from 58% of the surveyed 800 families have their own tablet -once again, underlying that this is NOT a matter of mobile phones but mobile devices - and thus not accutely "small screen" ; which, as everyone knows, small screen is predominantly referring to mobile phones exclusive of tablets...unless you come from a TV perspective, then all things are small screens.
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Paula Lynn from Who Else Unlimited, July 23, 2015 at 3:47 p.m.

At one time I could thread a needle without glasses and said nothing will ever change.

John Grono from GAP Research, July 23, 2015 at 6:48 p.m.

"While media consumers watch more than eight hours of video each day". Cough, cough.

Ed Papazian from Media Dynamics Inc, July 23, 2015 at 8:47 p.m.

Just another of those studies that ask vague and/or impossible to answer questions and get really bad findings, John. The percentages of viewing that are allocated to "traditional TV" in this study are really indicative of how poor the research is. What I find surprising is that the reporter, who should be aware of typical industry accepted data---like the average hours viewed per day per person (about 5 hours, not 8 ) or the overwhelming share of it that is still devoted to traditional viewing, didn't raise any questions about the validity of the data presented. That does a disservice to the Media Post audience.