Key 18-34 Demo Spends Most Time Surfing Digital, Video Content On Mobile

• by Gavin O'Malley , Staff Writer @mp_gavin, March 28, 2019

Along with content originated from digital-first publishers, smartphones and tablets have become “significant” vehicles for content originated on broadcast and cable networks.

That’s according to Nielsen’s first quarterly Content Ratings Benchmarks report, which explores how audiences are connecting with video content across live TV, DVR, VOD and digital platforms.

Of the time 18-to-34s spend watching broadcast originated content on digital devices, 71% of viewing is spent on smartphones and tablets.

Conversely, data shows that among the time 18-to-34s spend watching content originated from cable networks on digital devices, 55% of that viewing is spent on mobile devices.

When specifically looking at consumption of content originated from digital-first publishers, 18-34s spent 91% of their time on mobile devices.

“Understanding how people are spending their time and where they are viewing is essential to monetizing content and creating value for media owners and buyers alike,” Nielsen notes the new report.

Drawing from Digital Content Ratings and Total Content Ratings data, the report sought provide a broad view of how individuals consume video content using comparable metrics to evaluate consumption across TV and digital.

Among the various ways that viewers consume TV-originated content, Nielsen found that live TV remains the largest contributor to time spent.

Within the 18-to-34 demo, 66% of their time is spent watching content from the four leading broadcast networks, which occurs via  live TV viewing.

When consuming content originated from cable networks, this same group spends 81% of their time viewing this content on live TV.

Content consumption through connected TV devices continues to grow, bringing together both linear and dynamic content in an enhanced living room experience.