A new study has found that the consumption of social platform streaming media has almost caught up with that of traditional TV consumption at 16% vs. 18%, respectively. 

The study from the Consumer Technology Association was released in conjunction with the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) held in Las Vegas last month and included over 2,000 respondents.

As might be expected, the gap between consumption of user-created streaming content vs. traditional TV content widens depending on age group, with teens spending 56% of their media consumption time on user-created content and adults 55+ spending just 22%.

Important for brands to note:

• While media consumption continues to move away from traditional forms to more user-created content on social platforms, traditional TV and subscription-based video (Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, etc.) still command the most consumption time.
• While younger consumers are more often attached to individual content creators, there is still value in older media formats.
• There are many content creators who are monetizing their content (about 20 million in the US), but even younger people who follow creators are not always willing to pay, or pay much, for content. Keep this in mind when considering where to place your brand content.
• Brands can reach the right audience by using trendy user content specific to their forte as a channel.