Tag: Older Demo

Netflix Adding Older Streamers, Per Ampere Data

Netflix is beginning to replace its younger customer base with older streamers, as people of all ages are seeking on-demand entertainment, according to new data from Ampere Analysis.

In some mature markets, for the first time 24- to 44-year-olds are now more likely to be Netflix subscribers than their 18- to 24-year-old peers, according to a consumer survey of 48,000 Internet users across 25 markets. The data illustrates the rapid demographic changes in media consumption as the world emerges from lockdown.

Indeed, global monthly usage of Netflix increased by over 22% among the 45+ group in the past two years, while the same time period saw a growth of just 5% among younger consumers.

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Ampere contends the demo change could be the result of younger consumers seeking out-of-home entertainment for the first time since the pandemic began. Recent box office hits Cruella and Marvel’s Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings saw upticks in younger moviegoers. Nearly half of returned cinemagoers this quarter were aged under 35. Pre-pandemic, they represented just over a third of theatrical attendees.

“We can see the pandemic’s impact as older audiences turned to Netflix for entertainment during the numerous lockdowns,” analyst Minal Modha said in a statement. “As we emerge from the pandemic, it’s the younger demographics who are spearheading the return to the cinema in search of a more social viewing experience.”

SVOD Use Increasing Among Older Demos

Subscription streaming video has long been a mainstay among millennials. Now, consumers age 55 and older are migrating toward Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Hulu with greater frequency, according to new data from Ampere Analysis.

The average consumer between 55 and 64 years old streams the same amount of content – 1 hour and 20 minutes – per day as consumers between 18 and 24-year-olds. Yet, the 55+ demo accounts for just 13% of SVOD subscribers. The majority of SVOD subs are under 35 years old.

“It’s long been held that an ageing population offers a ready audience for broadcast TV, but our analysis shows that it’s time for a reality check,” Richard Broughton, director at Ampere, said in a statement.

Broughton said once older viewers subscribe to SVOD, either through advertising or following recommendations from friends and family, they shift their viewing patterns and consume content in a similar way to their younger counterparts.

The older demo watches content that ranges from action and adventure (14%), to sci-fi and fantasy (14%), crime thrillers (13%), comedy (8%) and documentaries (7%).

U.K.-based Ampere said that as the older demo matches market penetration with the younger subs in the U.S. and U.K., marketing teams of the SVOD services will increasingly turn their attention to older viewers.

“We expect this to herald yet more changes to content consumption for both broadcast and on-demand services,” Broughton said.