Millennials Still Watch New TV Shows, Just Much Later And On Hulu Instead Of Live TV

Millennials are taking their sweet time before watching new TV shows from fall 2015. According to a study from data technology and research firm Symphony Advanced Media (SymphonyAM), adults aged 18 to 34 are more likely to watch their favorite fall shows on time-shifting platforms like Hulu instead of tuning in to watch the same show’s episodes live on linear TV.

SymphonyAM’s study analyzed data from several networks’ fall TV series, like ABC’s Quantico  and CW’s Arrow, from September 21 through November 1, 2015. The research firm found millennials only watch live TV 30% of the time. An additional 30% of millennials’ TV-viewing time occurred via over-the-top and video-on-demand platforms more than three days after an episode’s linear debut, and via DVR more than seven days after an episode’s TV premiere. Out of the top 20 episodes millennials viewed during Symphony AM’s study, the audience rating for those episodes across all platforms increased an average of 38% by the seventh day after an episode’s linear premiere.

Additionally, SymphonyAM found that out of

all the streaming video options available to them, millennials prefer Hulu outside of live and DVR TV viewing. This is because Hulu boasts new, time-shifted network programming, whereas competitors like Netflix and Amazon don’t have current-season episodes. Hulu was also responsible for helping CBS’s app and website gain about double the viewing duration of competitor networks’ streaming sites. That’s because CBS doesn’t air shows on Hulu and the TV network instead directs viewers to CBS’s fully owned and operated streaming properties.

“Consumer behavior shifted significantly during the 2015 fall season, confirming that the viewing of TV and video today is officially disconnected from the Live+7 currency,” said Charles Buchwalter, President and CEO of SymphonyAM, in a release. “Consumers watch programs across multiple platforms and devices beyond the seven-day viewing window, and this trend is accelerating. Armed with this data, networks and advertisers can now engage consumers in novel ways.”

You can read more of SymponyAM’s study via its official press release.