READ MORE: TV Content and Short-Form Video Content are Both Important for Gen Z (Horowitz Research)
Teenagers and young adults all watch stuff on their phones and most of that stuff is shorter form, like TikTok dance videos — right? Wrong. This is a trap that marketers should avoid because it misses the important point that Gen Z enjoys watching TV.
The latest research to capture this behavior is from Horowitz. According to the analyst’s State of Gen Z 2021 report, eight in 10 (78%) 13- to 24-year-olds stream TV content weekly, while 79% stream shortform content such as short clips, UGC, video game live streams, and videos on social media.
Even when looking at share of viewing, the Horowitz Research study finds that Gen Zers are splitting their viewing time evenly between long-form and short-form content, 46% and 54% of their time, respectively.
The younger cohort of 13- to 17-year-olds spend a slightly greater percentage of their time with shortform video content compared to 18- to 24-year-olds, who spend their time split evenly between the two formats.
It will surprise no one to learn that virtually all (91%) of Gen Zers use their smartphones nearly every day, but did you know that two in three (66%) also use a TV set almost daily? In fact, the study finds that six in 10 Gen Zers have a TV set in their own bedrooms.
While Netflix is the most popular streaming service among Gen Z — with over three-quarters (78%) of Gen Z streamers using it regularly — other SVODs, including Disney+, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video and HBO Max, are also heavily used, as are free services like YouTube (for TV content) and Roku Channel.
Per the survey: the most popular TV genres among Gen Zers are movies, animated series, dramas and anime, but live TV content also has a role among Gen Zers, with 55% saying they watch at least some live TV content on a weekly basis.
“It’s important for marketers to keep in mind that media consumption among Gen Z is not about absolutes; it’s not true that they ‘never’ watch long-form TV content, that they ‘never’ use a screen other than their phones, or that they ‘never’ watch live TV,” notes Adriana Waterston, Insights & Strategy Lead at Horowitz.
Digital natives born with a smartphone in their hands they may be but it seems we all share the desire to sit back at times and be drawn into compelling, high-quality long-form entertainment.