Thinkbox Study Reveals Youth Viewing Habits

LONDON: TV accounts for 81 percent of all video consumption in the U.K., according to a Thinkbox study, while among 16- to 24-year-olds that number drops to 65 percent.

The Truth About Youth study, commissioned by Thinkbox and conducted by Platypus, also reports that the younger set is watching more on Netflix (4 percent, versus 2 percent across all demos) and YouTube (7 percent, versus 3.5 percent). The 16- to 24-year-olds are also less prone to watching live TV—49 percent of video consumption, as compared with 67 percent for all individuals.

Viewership on alternative screens—tablets and smartphones—is 15 percent for all individuals, and 30 percent for the 16-to-24 set. Online video viewing is seen as a form of "boredom busting."

“There has been an immense amount of speculation about how younger audiences are watching TV and newer forms of video," said Matt Hill, research and planning director at Thinkbox. "This research shows that newer forms of video have important roles to play in young people’s lives and that TV remains by far their favorite medium. Different video fulfills different needs and they co-exist happily.”