A new study from the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) found that more than three-quarters of millennials are utilizing a second screen when watching video content. The report,titled 2015 Video Consumption Trends: Part 1 and Part 2, states that 88 percent of the demographic, which encompasses individuals between the ages 18 to 34, engage in second screen behaviors.
“While watching video content, half of online Americans use second screens via another device such as a smartphone or tablet to augment first screen content to: access information about the content they’re viewing (50 percent), watch content on other devices during commercials (48 percent) and follow social media discussions either related or unrelated to the programming (43 percent),” writes the CTA.
The study also looked at cord cutting trends to find that one in 10 consumers have cancelled his or her cable subscription. Of those surveyed, 27 percent found alternatives that were lower in cost and 32 percent reported that they did not watch enough television. Paid video streaming services (like Netflix and Hulu) aren’t going anywhere, as the CTA reports a seven percentage point increase in consumers receiving their content from streaming services since 2014.
Overall, television is still the most popular device to view video content but when it comes to watching streaming content, millennials prefer other devices like computers, tablets and smartphones. The main reasons behind purchasing a television, according to the study, are: screen size, picture quality and cost.
"More than ever before, consumers - especially millennials - are using non-traditional devices such as computers, tablets and smartphones for content viewing," said Steve Koenig, senior director of market research, Consumer Technology Association. "As technology continues to improve, consumer behaviors and expectations also evolve - but televisions still reign as the preferred viewing device in American households today."
