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How do young people watch television? If we can answer this question, we will also partially answer the question of what television will look like in the future. What content attracts new generations? Have they really left linear television? Where did you go? This was one of the topics discussed at the meeting between Iberseries and Platino Industria, which took place in Madrid in the first week of October. In this context, the consulting firm GECA has presented a study that focuses precisely on the television content that Generation Z consumes.
But who is Generation Z? It follows the Millennials and precedes the Alpha Generation. As for the audience, it was found that they are young people, aged between 18 and 24 (in reality the generation goes a little further, but demographers do not agree on the years in which it begins and ends). Born with the internet and smartphones, they are the first fully digitally native generation. They live connected to each other, they relate to the world through social networks, audiovisual language is part of their way of relating to the world and it is natural for them to create audiovisual content. The report emphasizes that “knowledge of their current behavior in the audiovisual world in relation to serial fiction, entertainment and documentary products is crucial to understanding the future.”
In Iberseries & Platino Industria, the creator of Israeli Euphoria – the original – Ron Leshem provided information: According to Google, this is a generation that pays attention to a screen for an average of eight seconds. “You have to surprise young people with a visual scenario that attracts them, like Euphoria or Barbie.” He himself called for more series and content for this generation that deal with “normal people” and that young people even viewing this content as therapeutic when connecting with their characters.
In the picture the protagonists of the series “The one that is coming”
The GECA report attempts to answer the questions of what they see, who sees it, where they see it, when they see it and how they see it. To do this, they used data from their latest OTT barometer, released in July 2023.
The
A curious fact highlighted in the report is that this age group tends to show greater interest than others in reality TV and talent search programs, which they continue to watch, particularly on traditional television. That is, they haven’t left conventional television as much as we might imagine. To give an example: Temptation Island has always had a very young audience. The possibility of being able to comment on them on social networks or the next day in class and at work are reasons to see them live.
The GECA study highlights the emerging appeal of La que se, leading in this report among both the general public and Generation Z, although more clearly among the latter. It also highlights the appearance of content in the classification “with youth and adolescent themes as well as more transgressive content.” Series like Elite, The Simpsons, Sex Education or Wednesday appear in the top 10 for young people and are not in the general public. Another curiosity is how some titles climb their places within the most appreciated series (compared to the most watched). Among the most appreciated are “Never Have I Ever”, “The Walking Dead”, “Stranger Things”, “Valeria”, “Queen Charlotte”, “Welcome to Eden” and “Euphoria”. Riverdale and The Last of Us. Three are YA titles, four are supernatural titles and two are romantic dramas.
When it comes to entertainment platforms, I Am Georgina is at the top of your list of favorite shows (as in the series, for this barometer we also have to take into account the dates on which the surveys were conducted: between July 3rd and 20th). This is followed by “The Kardashians”, “Influencers: Surviving the Networks”, “The Grand Tour”, “Dulceida Naked” and “Drag Race Spain”.
Georgina Rodríguez in the second season of “Yo soy Georgina” courtesy of Netflix
WHO
While those over 55 make up 63.2% of linear TV viewers, 67.5% of platform users are under 55. If we focus on viewers aged 18 to 24, they make up 10.3% of platform users, while they only make up 2.7% of viewers. “This shows that young viewers have not stopped consuming audiovisual products, but are now doing so in different windows and on different devices,” the report said.
The platforms most used by Generation Z are Netflix and Prime Video, just like the general public. What is striking, however, is the increase in Netflix in this age group (from 65.2% to 80.58%) and the increases in Disney+ (from 37.25% in the general audience to 57.77% in young people) and HBO Max (from 30.95% to 43.59%). ). Of the free platforms with or without ads, TikTok, YouTube and Twitch are the favorites for this age group, followed by the free version of Atresplayer, RTVE Play and Mitele.
When
Another interesting point of the analysis relates to the moments in which these viewers consume audiovisual content on platforms. From Monday to Thursday, this consumption occurs mainly between 9:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m., while Friday consumption increases during this period and increases sharply between 11:00 p.m. and 1:30 a.m. This final time slot is the one that dominates Saturdays. On Sunday, consumption returns to a level more similar to Monday to Thursday, although with a significant increase in the afternoon. From Monday to Friday, the time young people spend on the on-demand broadcast is usually no more than two hours, but on weekends it is between two and four hours.
As
Contrary to what we might think, individual consumption of the platforms in this age group is reduced by half compared to that of linear television, but when viewed as a group it almost triples. Smart TV is the most popular place for these viewers to watch this content, followed by laptop and smartphone. 60% of platform users between the ages of 18 and 24 usually download shows and series to watch later (compared to 38.7% of all users). And another curiosity: by far the most popular place to view this downloaded content is the home itself, followed by transportation by a wide margin.
It may be interesting for series creators and platform managers to learn that younger viewers prefer series with 5 to 13 episodes and a duration of between 30 and 60 minutes per episode. And other curiosities: 37.8% of young people are waiting for the episode of the week of the series published on linear television to appear on a platform; 35% are waiting for all episodes to be available; and 70% interact on social media while watching TV.
In summary, the study shows that the content these viewers consume most on the platforms is fiction, although they show a greater interest than the rest in reality shows and talent shows. When it comes to series, they focus on youth themes and more transgressive content and prefer comedy, action and adventure as well as romance and horror. In the entertainment industry, they say they prefer humor, but they most often watch reality shows about celebrities. “Compared to the aging profile of linear television, the profile of platform users covers broader target groups and is significantly higher than that of linear television,” the study says.
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