3 in 4 primetime TV viewers between the ages of 13 and 64 have used an online service to stream or download TV shows during the past 6 months, according to newly-released survey results from Ipsos MediaCT. Predictably, these figures are higher among younger viewers, at 87% of 18-34-year-olds versus 61% of 50-64-year-olds. The study analyzes the most popular services, breaking the results down by age and other variables.
Among the total sample (13-64-year-olds who watch primetime TV at least twice a week), YouTube is the most popular service, with 62% of respondents claiming to have used it to stream or download TV shows during the previous 6 months. Next up is Netflix (39%), more popular than TV network websites (30%) and iTunes (22%), and a good distance from competitors Hulu Plus (22%) and Amazon Prime/Amazon Instant Video (18%).
Those rankings hold mostly steady among the 18-34 demo, save for iTunes (37%) getting the nod over TV network websites (35%). While the 18-34 bracket over-indexes in each service, it’s particularly drawn to Netflix, with 53% watching TV shows via the service, making them 36% more likely than the overall sample to do so.
An interesting finding from the study: 18-49-year-old viewers deemed “cord-lovers” (those who have maintained or added to their cable/satellite subscription levels during the past 6 months) are as likely to have streamed or downloaded TV shows as the average 18-49-year-old primetime viewer. When sorting the responses from 18-49-year-olds into pay-TV subscription status, the study finds that 83% of cord-lovers have streamed or downloaded TV shows, while a relatively smaller 78% of “cord-nevers” (those without a cable/satellite subscription) have done so. That suggests both that “cord-lovers” are eager to watch TV content wherever they can find it and that “cord-nevers” are satisfied by watching broadcast TV channels, something which TDG Research has found to be the case with Millennials who forgo pay-TV. In fact, the Ipsos results indicate that “cord-nevers” are just as likely to watch broadcast TV (50%) as to stream or download TV shows via the internet (48%).
About the Data: The data is from Ipsos MediaCT’s TV Dailies study conducted October 21-27, 2013. The results are based on a national online sample of 2,015 adults aged 18-49 who view prime-time TV (between 8pm and 11pm EST/PST and between 7pm and 10pm Central) at least twice a week and do not work in any sensitive industries.
