Young People Watch More Than 22 Hours of Online Video a Week

According to the third annual Acumen Report, watching content online instead of on TV is the new normal for young millennials and even younger Gen Zers. Just how much digital video are they watching? The average survey taker viewed 11.3 hours of free online video (on sites like YouTube) and 10.8 hours of subscription video (on sites like Netflix) for a staggering total of 22 hours a week. By comparison, that same survey group -- 1,350 people between the ages of 13 and 24 -- viewed an average 8.3 hours of scheduled linear TV content. And of that, 6.4 hours happened online.

While almost everyone surveyed said they watch digital content, a little more than half reported watching TV. Whether you're a marketer or a content creator, the results magnify the growing influence of these millennial consumers and further affirmation that traditional media is falling short with this audience," said Andy Tu, evp of marketing for Defy Media, an online video production house that commissioned the study. Sixty-two percent of all respondents said they prefer to consume video content digitally. Overall, more young people said they like and relate to content on digital platforms than on TV. A little under 70 percent said they relax by watching digital content, as opposed to 47 percent who relied on television.