Less than half of Americans choose live TV as main viewing method

Just 45% of Americans say they watch live TV when the show airs as their primary method of watching television, according to new research.

The Think Now Research report into Americans’ media habits claims that 22% now pick Netflix as their primary way of watching TV, followed by DVR recordings (10%), YouTube (8%), Amazon Prime (5%), Hulu (3%) and DVDs (2%).

“Streaming services like Netflix and YouTube are becoming just as popular as live TV,” according to the report.

Looking at all methods of watching TV – not just the primary method – 68% of respondents said they watch live linear TV, compared to 58% who watch Netflix and 50% who watch YouTube.

The popularity of TV streaming services is being driven mainly by millennials, according to the research. Some 77% of people aged 18-34 said they watch Netflix while 70% watch YouTube, compared to just 51% who watch live TV.

The study polled 1,261 Americans aged 18-64 and was conducted in March this year.
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