October 30, 2009 - There is a commonly held thesis that the younger the consumer, the more likely they are to view online TV. TDG's data continues to support this claim. We thought it would be interesting to examine the relationship between age and the use of one particular online TV destination: Hulu.com.
The table below summarizes data from a recent TDG survey of U.S. Internet users.
As illustrated, both general use and frequency of usage tend to decrease as age increases. In terms of general use, 52% of Internet users between 18 and 24 have used Hulu, compared with 42% of those 25-34, and so on. In terms of frequency of use, 18% of those 18-24 watch Hulu at least a couple times per week, compared with 15% of those 25-34, 12% of those 35-44, and so on.
I frequently speak with college students about their video viewing habits and it should come as no surprise that they make good use of Hulu and other online TV sites. Among this segment, their PC monitor in many cases serves as their TV and DVD player. Yes, this may be a question of affordability, but I believe it reflects a behavioral and preferential shift. The TV is no longer the only way to watch video in the home and the Internet is considered a legitimate content source capable of meeting the needs of these younger consumers.
Case in point: when I asked my daughter Jasmine if she would like to take her TV with her to her college dormitory-she had a TV in her room at home-she declined. Why? Because she now watches most of her favorite TV on her PC. This had little to do with affordability and convenience-the TV set was paid for and would have easily fit in her room. Instead, this reflected the fact that her preferred platform for viewing TV has become the PC. Imagine that!
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