• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, 3 hours ago

New TV shows on premium streaming platforms can go wanting among consumers -- due to the increasing glut of original premium TV series and movies online.

In response, 60% of young or older streaming viewers -- in describing their favorite shows -- have recently begun watching a show that has already been on for several seasons, according to Hub Entertainment Research. Just 40% say they have started to watch a new show’s first season in the past year.

Sixty-five percent of younger 16-34 viewers are more prone to watch older shows that have been on for a few seasons, with 57% of those 35 years and older watching old shows.

The problem is that an explosion of content makes program discovery difficult to select a new TV show.

“While viewers love choices, the fragmented landscape continues to challenge viewers and there's still work to be done to help them find new, relevant programs to keep them satisfied,” says the authors of the study.

In addition, viewers generally don’t buy into new program recommendations from a streaming service. Only 46% give streamers positive remarks when it comes from streaming services' recommendations of what shows to watch.

What is the alternative when consumers can’t find anything to watch? Eighty percent of YouTube users “frequently or sometimes” turn to YouTube when they can’t find something else to watch.

Younger streaming viewers ages 16-34 go to YouTube "frequently” -- 41% of the time -- when they can’t find something to watch. On the other side of this, 26% of streaming viewers age 35 and up “never” go to YouTube.

The Hub Entertainment Research report is based on a survey of 1,600 U.S. consumers ages 16-74.

Other studies have shown that finding a program to watch can take an average 12 minutes (in the U.S.) and 14 minutes (globally), according to Nielsen’s Gracenote.