
By Movieguide® Contributor
A study from Tubi revealed how young users view streaming sites, the content they are most excited about and why they turn to entertainment in the first place.
While Hollywood has long relied on endless sequels and remakes to draw viewers with already established IP, the study revealed that younger audiences are more excited when they discover new shows they know nothing about. This could mean being shown older TV shows they have not seen before — 87% of Gen Z want streaming services to suggest older content they haven’t seen — or by simply serving the original content, which 73% of young viewers prefer over franchise content.
The study also provided a troubling statistic for the path streamers are currently taking, as 79% of Gen Z believes they should not receive any ads if they pay for a streaming service. Meanwhile, nearly every paid service currently offers an ad-supported tier where users get access to their library, with ads, for a cheaper price. Furthermore, Gen Z is not afraid to cancel their subscriptions when things get too pricey, as over half of Gen Z actively monitors the costs of their subscriptions and 76% would cancel a service if it became too expensive.
With the average American spending $129 per month on streaming services, it’s no wonder that piracy is on the rise. Last year alone, the entertainment industry lost over $150 billion to illegal streaming in response to these rising costs.
Nonetheless, streaming continues to be a major pastime for the younger generation, with 57% of Gen Z watching 1-3 hours of content on average when they sit down to stream and 38% streaming content for even longer. Many times, viewers are watching content as a way to escape their own lives and enjoy a fantasy. Streaming is the most common pastime to do this with, with 80% of Gen Zers stating they would rather stream than watch/scroll social media.
Related: Has Streaming Brought Piracy Back?