Two pieces of research from Nielsen in the USA over the past few
days provide insights about the people who watch Netflix and Hulu
online and 'Generation C': 18 - 34 year olds who despite forming
only 23% of the population watch the most online video, visit the
greatest number of social networks and own the most mobile
devices.
First, the Hulu / Netflix data:
Since 2000, the number of Americans with Internet access has
more than doubled from 132.2 million to 274 million, according to
Nielsen and NM Incite's
U.S. Digital Consumer Report. As such, it should be no surprise
that online content is increasingly part of Americans'
entertainment fare. At the end of 2011, roughly one‐third of
consumers streamed long‐form content such as a movie or TV show
from the Internet through a paid subscription service like Netflix
or Hulu‐Plus.
The In‐Home Streaming Experience: With 12
million unique video consumers streaming from Hulu and 6.2 million
from Netflix from home computers in October 2011, these brands are
two of the largest players in the online streaming of TV and movie
content.
So, who's watching on Netflix and Hulu on home
computers?
Age: Interestingly, though 31 percent of
Hulu's audience falls into the 18‐34 age range, more than a third
of users are over the age of 50. Netflix skews slightly younger,
with 40 percent of users in the 18‐34 age range and 17 percent over
50.
Gender: Women make up the majority of
users for both Netflix and Hulu-57 percent and 59 percent,
respectively-and an even bigger share of time spent. They account
for 64 percent of total time spent watching video content on
Netflix and Hulu. This is particularly noteworthy, as women stream
less online video overall than men, as noted in the recent Nielsen Cross‐Platform Report.
Race & Ethnicity: Both services have
an audience that is more than three‐quarters white, with relatively
even audience percentages for African‐Americans and Asians.
Hispanics are more likely to watch video on Netflix than
Hulu-making up 16 percent of Netflix's audience compared to 11
percent for Hulu.
Introducing Generation C: Americans 18-34 Are the
Most Connected
Born sometime between the launch of the VCR and the
commercialization of the Internet, Americans 18-34 are redefining
media consumption with their unique embrace of all things digital.
According to
Nielsen and NM Incite's U.S. Digital Consumer Report, this
group-dubbed "Generation C" by Nielsen-is taking their personal
connection-with each other and content-to new levels, new devices
and new experiences like no other age group.
The latest Census reports that Americans 18-34 make up 23
percent of the U.S. population, yet they represent an outsized
portion of consumers watching online video (27%), visiting social
networking/blog sites (27%), owning tablets (33%) and using a
smartphone (39%). Their ownership and use of connected devices
makes them incredibly unique consumers, representing both a
challenge and opportunity for marketers and content providers
alike. Generation C is engaging in new ways and there are more
touch points for marketers to reach them.