Streaming Viewers Now Up To 80% Of U.S. Adults, To 214M

by Wayne Friedman , March 6, 2024

Over an average 30-day period in 2023, 214 million U.S. adults -- or 80% -- consumed video content via streaming platforms, according to a survey by AdTaxi, a digital media agency.

That total is up 6.2 million vs. a year ago.

Streaming viewing by demographic is even stronger -- over 90% for viewing groups: For viewers ages 12-17, 18-24, 25-34, and 35-44. For viewers 45-54 it is 88%, with 55-64 viewers at 75% and 65 and up at 53).

For 2024, the survey says, 73% of adults choose streaming as their default source of TV/video consumption -- up from 42% in 2023.

Research shows 84% of Gen Z adults prefer streaming as their first choice in viewing TV-video content.

Cable TV has declined as the first source where viewers are turning on their TV devices to 15% from 31% the year before, while broadcast has dropped to 6% from 11%.

Analyzing devices, the research shows a TV device still has a leading role in 2023 with 72% of streaming viewers accessing TV and video content via a TV set. This is up from 66% the year before.

Smartphones are now at 59% (48% in 2022). Laptop viewing of streaming content is at 37%, vs. 33% in 2022.

On average, streamers use 2.25 devices to consume TV and video content

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2 comments about "Streaming Viewers Now Up To 80% Of U.S. Adults, To 214M".

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John Grono from GAP Research, March 6, 2024 at 6:20 p.m.
A 'massive' increase in just the two months so far this yeer, eh.
Reply

Ed Papazian from Media Dynamics Inc, March 7, 2024 at 8:15 a.m.

So, has "Ad Taxi" been "certified" by the U.S. "JIC" as another alternative TV audience source to compete with Nielsen. And if streaming tops poor old linear TV--and especially, pathetic cable---as the average viewer's "default" choice when a TV "fix" is needed, why do the meters keep telling us that streaming accounts for only 35-38% of a typical person's TV time. Or is it just possible that respondents in such surveys are trying to be "cool" ----so they claim that they always turn to the "cool" way to watch TV when, often, this is not the case?Indeed, how many respondents even understand the difference between "linear TV" and "CTV" or "streaming" and where, exactly, the content they are watching originates from?