November 18, 2022
The average U.S. household now uses 12.5 sources of entertainment, driven by subscription streaming VOD, according to new data from Hub Entertainment Research. Citing an October survey of 3,000 adults with high-speed internet access, the report found that age plays a role on the number of entertainment sources.
Survey respondents between the ages of 18-34 used more than 15 sources of entertainment, which also include social media, video games, music, AVOD, pay-TV, online TV, podcasts, books, audiobooks and sports.
Younger respondents use more video services (6.6 sources) — driven by big name SVOD services such as Netflix, Hulu and HBO Max — than older demos. After SVOD (3.7 sources), social media and gaming (6.0) combined dominate entertainment choices.
Among older respondents (35+), the average household includes 10.6 sources of entertainment, also driven by SVOD, but in a lower amount (2.7). In fact, older demos overall access fewer (5.3) video sources than younger demos. An even bigger drop includes social media and gaming (3.1), which is just 50% of younger demos.
Among all survey respondents, the number of “must-have” entertainment sources topped six, increasing to eight among the younger demo and 4.9 among the older.
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“The focus on the video “streaming wars” obscures the fact that social media entertainment, gaming, and streaming music occupy just as much share of mind as video (and among some consumer segments, more),” Hub wrote.
The research firm contends marketers and content aggregators have an opportunity to reduce churn among entertainment sources by bundling platforms across multiple genre categories. For example, Walmart recently added streaming access to Paramount+ on its Walmart+ membership platform. The company is looking to add Peacock and Disney+, among others.
Disney reportedly is considering a membership program for its parks, streaming and consumer products that would emulate the Amazon Prime membership platform.
“It’s the physical and digital aspects of your Disney lifestyle,” CEO Bob Chapek told The Wall Street Journal. “We’re trying to build a toolbox our creators at Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Lucas can use to tell stories in a more customized and personal way.”
