Look at this…👀 Netflix use drops 18%.

You should know.

Streaming services … they’re not so hot with Gen Z right now. 

Weird, right?

I know, it’s surprising, especially given that 71% of Gen Zers have a subscription,1 but it’s the truth. Last month, Netflix dropped 18% in consumers, aged 18-24. Come look at this with me. This is all mobile behavior for 100,000 demographically balanced consumers.

Check it out.

App usage ages 18-24
App usage ages 18-24

Should Netflix be worried? 

Maybe. 

You saw that same question pop up as we looked at Peacock last month, but this is new. Gen Z is down for all subscriptions, dropping 4% on Hulu and 3% on HBO Max.

So, what’s going on — are they all on vacation, not watching TV?

Take a look.

There’s more… Millennials are also dropping out of Hulu, use is down 11% in the past month. Something’s up here. 

Want my take? 

They’re bored. 

I mean, it’s been two years of sitting at home alone on the couch binge-watching TV. 

You can only sit down so long before you need to get up and stretch your legs. So, they’re probably taking a break. After all, it’s only impacting the young kids. I’ll show you.

Netflix, HBO Max, and Hulu are much more popular with the 35+ crowd (don’t worry, if you’re in this category, you’re cool 😉). In fact, HBO saw a spike of 20% in consumers aged 35-44.

Interesting. 

Netflix is also up 14% for ages 45-54. Hulu is up too — 24% in the same age group. 

Wow.

App usage ages 35-44
App usage ages 35-44
App usage ages 45-54
App usage ages 45-54

But why?

What does it mean for Delta, are the older generations more hesitant to head outside? They could be. Or, it may be that this age group still has children, and just isn’t able to get up and go whenever they want to, the way a Gen Z person can. Either way, they’re choosing not to move.

And that spells good news for streaming. 

If it’s not a bit ironic. I mean, streaming video on demand (SVOD) as an industry was once dominated by younger viewers. Now, it could be the new Facebook — more popular with older generations and shied away from, by the younger ones.

It makes you wonder. 

What will TV look like in 10 or 20 years?

Is this downward trend in Gen Z temporary, and what’s it being driven by? All these questions can be answered in MFour Studio. Feel free to take a peek.

How do I see more on Gen Z?

That’s easy.

First, keep in mind that classes started back up.

So, the college kids who were streaming all summer are now stuck in class. We followed them into the other areas they hit, to see what the story was here. And this is what we found. They’re at Office Depot, Enterprise, or Marriott. Stuck between vacay and back to school.

Top venues visited ages 18-24
Top venues visited ages 18-24

Need more?

Ask this exact audience. You can survey them right now to see how else they’re entertaining themselves. Get answers to the questions that are keeping you up at night.

Go ahead.

You have our permission to immerse yourself in the data. We’ll even give you a 7-day free trial because we know how much fun it is to dive in deep. 

So, go on. This one’s on us.

References:

  1. https://review42.com/resources/gen-z-statistics/

Posted on September 12th, 2021

Explore More Posts

Stay in Touch

Stay up to date on consumer trends by opting into our newsletter.