Young Americans Turn Their Backs on Traditional TV

With the emergence of streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime Video, traditional TV is finding itself under increased pressure to retain its place as the go-to medium for entertainment, distraction and information. While people still spend more time watching TV then they do using any other medium, there are signs that indicate its future may not look quite as bright.

As figures from Nielsen’s quarterly Total Audience Report indicate, young Americans are watching less and less TV. Since Q1 2011, the time Americans aged 18-24 spend watching TV dropped by more than 40 percent. In the first quarter of 2017, young Americans spent an average of 14 hours and 31 minutes a week watching traditional TV, down from 26 and a half hours in 2011.