American consumers are increasingly relying on social media as their primary source of news, as TV news loses its longstanding dominance, according to a new media trends report from YouGov.
25% of US adults now say TV is their primary news source, down from 31% in 2019. In the same time, Americans who say social is their primary news source have increased from 12% to 18%. For Americans under 34, social has already usurped TV as the top new source.
YouGov’s new report, The US Media Morph: 2024 trend report, provides an in-depth picture of the transformation in US media consumption, as well as how consumers are responding to the barrage of omnichannel advertising.
The report finds that:
- Streaming/on-demand TV is the fastest growing ad medium for consumer attention, up from 8% in 2019 to 12% in 2023. Social media remains the top medium for advertising attention, but has declined slightly since 2019.
- 46% of Americans now spend 6+ hours per week on social media platforms, with this share reaching 60% for those aged 18-24.
- While Facebook (68%) remains the most used social network, video-centric platforms like YouTube (51%) and TikTok (26%) have registered significant growth.
- Consumers are increasingly willing to pay to access magazine content online, up from 19% in 2019 to 26% in 2023.
- Among messaging platforms, WhatsApp has seen the highest growth in usage (+9% points) since 2021, though it still lags Facebook Messenger.
- 53% of Americans believe “ads are a waste of time,” up from 48% in 2019. Similarly, 46% say ads “help me choose what I buy,” down from 49%.
“When it comes to media consumption, Americans are definitely changing channels – and the new favorite channels are streaming video and social,” said Ryan Gmerek, VP at YouGov America. “Americans who are 55 or older are now the heaviest live TV viewers, although they are increasingly turning to streaming and social for entertainment and news too.”
The US Media Morph: 2024 trend report leverages survey data from YouGov Profiles, an audience intelligence tool that allows brands and media agencies to glean in-depth insights into targeted consumer groups to inform advertising campaigns.
Download the report here.
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