Young Adults Show Low Local TV News Consumption
A new study reveals a significant generational gap in local TV news viewership, with only 10% of young adults watching last week compared to 64% of seniors.
Local television news faces a stark generational divide, with only 10% of young adults aged 18-24 watching local TV news in the past week. This compares to 64% of adults aged 65 and older, highlighting a 54-point gap in viewership.
The #FutureOfTV.Live study, conducted by Ring Digital, surveyed 1,376 U.S. adults and indicates that mobile devices and vertical video formats are reshaping news consumption habits among younger demographics. Daily television viewing also shows a significant disparity, with only 31% of 18-24-year-olds reporting daily viewing versus 81% of those 65 and older.
Local broadcasters are challenged not only by the decline of pay TV but also by how the next generation is forming a different relationship with television and news. The research found that among those who watched local newscasts, 35% did so via a pay-TV service. Social media platforms like YouTube accounted for 18%, free streaming apps for 13%, and station-specific apps for just 7%.
Furthermore, the study estimates that 108 million U.S. adults watch news video on their phones daily. The leading platforms for mobile news video consumption were Facebook and YouTube Shorts, each reaching 46% of viewers, followed by TikTok at 37% and Instagram Reels at 33%.
Ring Digital is exploring potential solutions for local broadcasters to adapt to these evolving viewing behaviors, including incorporating interactivity and leveraging short-form video for discovery to drive tune-in to live and linear programming.