In a groundbreaking shift, smartphones have now overtaken televisions as the primary screen for watching new video content. In this respect, the screen of a mobile has the edge over connected TVs by just one percentage point, according to Hub Entertainment Research. This kind of change can be seen as reflecting something deeper in the way video material, especially by younger viewers, is now consumed.
This generational gap is clear: younger people lean toward digital sources, but older generations still rely on live TV. The tide is really beginning to turn among the Millennials and Gen Z viewers, who would proffer ease and phone availability, respectively, as the reasons. However, traditional TV remains strong, therefore delineating very clearly a definite divide in viewer behavior across age groups.
Social media has played a vital role in this paradigm change. More specifically, it is YouTube that is turning out to be a number-one player on CTVs and making other social media players—be it TikTok or X—think about the idea of building their own CTV apps. This race to be superior to the other changes the face of the digital domain, with these sites vying for an even greater share of video consumption.
Ott platforms have also contributed much to this trend. As reported by Uscreen, in 2024, there would be 6.93 billion smartphones that can run apps globally. And 65% of streaming video is watched on mobile and TV apps rather than browsers. With so many smartphones around, using them for watching video content on the move is catching, thus giving impetus to shifting to mobiles.
Another important factor is the ability to watch live sports. Major sports leagues have, in the recent past, sold their streaming rights to the likes of YouTube and Apple’s service, which has since lured a broader number of people into watching live sports content on their portable hands. This has made their favorite sports content friendly and accessible from wherever and whenever. This has added greatly to the increasing rate of mobile video consumption.
It is in deep decline but traditional TV still represents a huge amount of viewing, especially among older demographics. Ipsos data shows that live TV is the most adult-preferred medium for the 35- to 49-and-over age groups, so that further shows its continued trust and following. But the bigger picture is one of rapidly changing video viewing habits.
Going forward, the future for watching videos is really described by the fact that the smartphone forms the central area. Ease and access in general seem to work their charm with mobile streaming and short-form videos, and one can only believe that these trends will continue to evolve with technology and viewing habits, making smartphones to be one of the major players in how we watch most of our content.
