According to the latest edition of Deloitte Digital Media Trends, watching TV and movies at home remains a favorite pastime among consumers across generations, especially among Baby Boomers (40%) and Generation X (27%), followed by Millennials (20%). . For younger consumers, preferences have shifted toward gaming, with 24% of Gen Z 14-25 year olds citing video games as their primary pastime, compared to 16% who prefer watching TV and movies at home.

Closes the top of favorite entertainment listen to music (16% Gen Z, 10% Millennials, 9% Gen X and Baby Boomers), browsing the internet (12% Gen X, 10% Millennials and Baby Boomers, 6% Gen Z) and is going tomovies (10% Gen X, 9% Millennials, 5% Gen Z, and 3% Baby Boomers).

Although gaming is not considered a favorite of all consumers, it is a very popular form of entertainment for all age groups, the report shows. At least 96% of Gen Z respondents and the same proportion of Millennials regularly play video games, followed by 89% of Gen X and 57% of Baby Boomers. Among them, Millennials play an average of 13 hours per week, followed by Gen Z at 11 hours, Gen X at ten hours and Baby Boomers at six hours. Consumers mainly use mobile devices for video games (55% of smartphone and tablet owners), followed by consoles (47% of consumers who own such a device) and PCs (35% of owners).

The top reasons consumers play video games are to help them relax (78%), express themselves by personalizing game characters or avatars (61%), get through difficult times (59%), and stay connected with other people (53%).

The report also highlights that consumers are feeling overwhelmed by choice when it comes down to it streaming video on demand services, fueling competition between suppliers and increasing cost awareness among consumers. Among those who decided to cancel their subscription to a video streaming service, 41% cited cost as the first reason, followed by a lack of new content (30%). This context leads to higher churn rates, with more than a third of consumers (37%) canceling or simultaneously adding and canceling such a service in the past six months, a trend that is more pronounced among younger generations (51% of Gen Z). .

“Paid video streaming services have been competing for years with user-generated content, which is free and sometimes more dynamic, interactive and immersive, and they seem to be losing the battle in certain segments. Video-on-demand streaming providers are struggling to retain customers, especially when it comes to the younger generation, as these subscribers are becoming more content-demanding and value-conscious, making it harder for brands in this market segment to gain their loyalty,” he said. Andrej Ionescu, Managing Partner of Risk Consulting and Advisory, Deloitte Romania and TMT industry leader.

The report shows that four out of ten consumers are spending more time browsing user-generated video content than TV shows and movies on streaming video services, especially among millennials (60%) and Gen Z (57%).

In addition, seven out of ten consumers follow an online influencer, especially the younger generation, and one-third of them say they have influenced their purchasing decisions.

The Deloitte Digital Media Trends 2022 survey was conducted on more than 2,000 US consumers.