In the new Brand section of our Core research, we ask respondents whether they prefer watching TV on-demand or live as it is broadcast (with respondents selecting from a point in a 5-point scale).
Take a look at the average scores in the USA and there’s a pretty clear age-based story here. While 16-24s tend to select somewhere in the middle of the scale (scoring an average of 2.6), older internet users still have a clear preference for watching broadcast TV live (with 55-64s averaging a score of 3.7).
The popularity of services like Netflix among younger demographics is undoubtedly edging these consumers towards the lower end of the scale. However, that all scores remain above the 2.5 mark reaffirms that we’re not necessarily seeing a clear-cut shift from traditional to online formats. For now at least, US viewers remain wedded to their TV sets.