Conventional wisdom has it that late millennials are far more receptive to non-tradition sources of television programming than their elders. The Diffusion Group noted that despite being oft-said, there was little research on the matter – until now.
TDG did not just make the remark – it went ahead and actually did the research, and found that in this case, the conventional wisdom is dead-on accurate.
“Much has been said about younger adults and the choices they may make about their home TV services once they leave their parents’ home,” notes Michael Greeson, president and principal analyst for TDG. “Yet little research has been offered up to support the various hypotheses.”
Once out on their own, cable and satellite are not faring well in competition with new-generation options such as Netflix or Hulu Plus.
Here are the key discoveries:
* 48.7% are highly inclined to go with the new, as opposed to 31.3% highly inclined to go traditional
* 36.9% are neutral on new, while 43.8% are neutral on traditional
* Only 14.4%are highly disinclined to go with the new, as opposed to 24.9% highly disinclined to order a traditional service.
“While this data can be spun to rationalize a number of arguments, the simplest insight may be the most profound,” notes Greeson. “The very fact that young consumers perceive online video services as somehow more desirable or necessary than incumbent pay-TV services says volumes about the future of video.”
