AI is everywhere—or at least that’s what it feels like. Social media feeds are swamped with AI-generated flyers and captions that follow eerily similar cadences featuring it’s not x, it’s y and way too many em dashes. “Actresses” like Tilly Norwood who you will never see walk a red carpet in real life are headed to screens. But while executives looking to cut costs might be eager to use these tools to save money and time, audiences aren’t on board, especially when it comes to news.
As audiences grow tired of AI slop, and platforms like YouTube and Substack begin to crackdown on it, media outlets have an opportunity to rebuild trust and reconnect with audiences by leaning into authenticity. That doesn’t mean intentionally introducing typos and calling it a day. It means developing a human-centric audience strategy based on relationships, context, and perspective.
AI and the attention economy
The battle for audience attention rages on. No one knows that better than media companies that invest countless hours and dollars in audience building strategies, and for some, the key has always been quantity over quality. AI has made that route even easier to take. Yes, AI slop can help grab attention, but “sometimes not in the way that people intend,” says Paul Shovlin, Assistant Professor, Emerging Communications Technologies at Ohio University. “Some people think any publicity is good publicity,” he says, but is inviting rage-filled comments hating on your AI slop really the attention brands are looking for?
For media brands built on trust and authority, the answer should be a resounding no.
In 2025, after surveying people in six countries, Reuters found, “There is a clear ‘comfort gap’ between AI- and human-led news. On average, only 12% are comfortable with news made entirely by AI; this rises to 21% with a ‘human in the loop’, 43% when a human leads with some AI help, and 62% for entirely human-made news (an increase of 4 percentage points since 2024). This gap can be found across demographics and countries.”
Similarly, Raptive’s 2025 research found audience trust drops by nearly 50% when an article feels AI-generated—and it doesn’t even matter if it actually is AI-generated. Just the perception is enough to turn audiences off. Still, understanding that your audience does not want AI-generated content and managing to compete in the attention economy against the onslaught of slop are two very different things.
The key to competing with AI slop
There was a time, namely during the rise of influencer marketing, when nearly every bit of advice about building audience relationships was about authenticity. Well, authenticity is back.
Shovlin says that by identifying AI’s strengths and weaknesses, media companies can find places to invest in bringing a human touch to your content while letting AI crunch the numbers. “Speaking directly to your audience in a voice that is recognizable to them,” will set you apart from the bots, says Shovlin.
For some, that may mean injecting your personal voice and perspective into coverage. Legacy media may understandably balk at that idea, but perspective does not have to equate to opinion. Instead, figure out how your team’s strengths can turn into a strategy. Shovlin has recommendations for what that can look like:
Hyperlocal context: People living and working in the communities they cover have context that AI simply does not have. Whether you are heading to the local meetings no one else is reporting on, or turning to your community members for story ideas, hyperlocal context is a great way to establish your bona fides as a real person.
Timely news: AI is notoriously bad at breaking news, mostly because it relies on humans to do its leg work. Focusing on original reporting is key to making your media brand a must-have for audiences.
Lived experience: Much like hyperlocal reporters, people who have their own personal experience with the beats they cover can bring that to bear in their coverage. Whether it’s a music review or reporting on insider developments in the gamer community, bringing expertise (and enthusiasm) that AI can’t replicate matters more than ever.
Media outlets that decide to take the no-AI pledge, like iHeart Media did, should be loud and proud about the promise. Remind your audience constantly that humans are at the heart of what you do. As Shovlin says, “It’s okay to be meta in describing the value you offer compared to the competition that may be awash in slop.”
Gaming audiences offer a valuable perspective on digital media consumption. IGN Entertainment’s new Generations in Play report finds that these audiences increasingly move fluidly between creators, communities, search, subscriptions, livestreams, and social feeds depending on their immediate intent rather than demonstrating loyalty to any single platform.
Gamers already navigate fragmented discovery environments across YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, Reddit, and subscription platforms depending on whether they want recommendations, reviews, tutorials, community interaction, or creator-driven entertainment. Some platforms serve more utility-driven needs like search, reviews, and problem-solving, while others function as social environments built around participation and interaction.
Although Gen X, Gen Y, and Gen Z audiences approach media differently, the broader pattern is consistent: audiences increasingly assemble media experiences across multiple platforms, personalities, and communities rather than inside a single destination. The report suggests audiences increasingly organize media behavior around tasks and intent rather than platform loyalty. Consumers move between video, search, creators, social feeds, communities, and AI-assisted recommendations depending on whether they want expertise, entertainment, validation, or participation.
For media executives, the findings suggest that audiences increasingly expect media experiences to be participatory, personalized, and community-oriented. Traditional pathways built around search traffic, platform referrals, and destination-based consumption may become less central as discovery fragments across creators, communities, algorithms, and platforms. That raises important questions about how content is packaged, distributed, and discovered across fragmented discovery environments.
Generational differences in discovery
The report argues that “content follows intent, not platforms.” Audiences choose platforms based on what they want at a specific moment. However, the research highlights clear generational differences in discovery behavior. For example, among Gen Y respondents, 85% use YouTube as a primary discovery tool. These users rely on creators, gameplay videos, reviews, and tutorials before making entertainment decisions.
Gen Z audiences lean more heavily toward creators, livestreams, multiplayer experiences, and community participation. Gen X audiences remain more closely associated with Google Search and direct information-seeking behavior. Instead of relying on one destination, audiences now combine search, video, creators, reviews, and peer recommendations throughout the discovery process.
Gen Z turns gaming into a social layer
For Gen Z audiences, gaming increasingly functions as a social environment rather than a standalone entertainment category. Entertainment and participation now overlap. Creators, Discord communities, livestream chats, and multiplayer games shape how younger audiences discover content and build connections online.
Younger audiences frequently discover games through personalities, clips, memes, and shared conversations. Gaming experiences often begin with creators or communities rather than publishers or storefronts. That behavior reflects broader shifts across digital media, where creators increasingly shape how audiences discover entertainment.
Utility and community increasingly overlap
The report introduces a distinction between “resident” and “utility” platforms. Resident platforms are places where audiences socialize and participate in communities. Utility platforms solve specific needs quickly. Gaming audiences already move naturally between both environments.
The report identifies Twitch, Discord, Reddit, and multiplayer games as resident platforms centered on participation and interaction. Platforms like YouTube and Google Search serve more utility-focused roles. Audiences use them for tutorials, reviews, walkthroughs, and problem-solving.
The distinction reflects changing expectations around platforms. Audiences no longer expect one platform to satisfy every need. Instead, they move between spaces built for entertainment, expertise, information, and social connection.
Access continues to gain ground over ownership
Those fragmented behaviors are also reshaping how audiences think about ownership, subscriptions, and long-term platform loyalty. The report highlights the shift from ownership toward access-based consumption. According to the research, 62% of respondents no longer buy full-price games at launch. Many consumers wait for discounts, updates, or subscription availability through services like Game Pass or PlayStation Plus.
The same pattern appears across other entertainment categories. IGN found that 71% of respondents no longer buy physical music. Convenience, affordability, and flexible access continue reshaping entertainment consumption, reinforcing audience expectations for bundled, low-friction, cross-platform experiences. The report positions gaming audiences as early indicators of broader digital behavior. These audiences already move across subscriptions, creators, communities, and social platforms simultaneously.
AI adoption varies sharply by generation
IGN Entertainment’s research also highlights generational differences around AI-assisted discovery. According to the report, Gen X respondents are 38% less likely to use AI for game discovery. They are also 44% less likely to trust AI-generated summaries than younger audiences. Older audiences continue relying more heavily on search, established sources, and human expertise. Younger audiences appear more comfortable using AI within discovery workflows and recommendation systems.
The report ultimately suggests that gaming audiences may be early indicators of broader shifts already reshaping digital media. Discovery continues to fragment, participation is becoming part of the entertainment experience itself, and creators and communities increasingly influence how audiences navigate content online. For media companies, those shifts raise larger strategic questions about audience ownership, platform dependency, and how trusted brands remain visible inside increasingly distributed discovery environments.
How people consume news and information no longer follows a clear pattern. Professional news organizations still produce much of the original reporting that informs the public, but audiences now encounter that information through an increasingly complex mix of platforms, creators, and intermediaries. News organizations, editors, and journalists no longer fully control how information reaches the public, as social platforms, independent creators, and traditional outlets now operate alongside one another. Audiences move across several sources and platforms each day, creating a more fragmented and layered news ecosystem.
Understanding how different generations navigate this ecosystem has become increasingly important for media organizations. Media Insight Project’s (MIP) latest report examines how consumers access news and information across five age groups, from teens to adults over 65. The findings describe a shared news environment where people use many of the same platforms but enter and move through them differently.
Across the population, news consumption spans several platforms each day. Nearly half of Americans get news from television or streaming daily, while 41% use digital news sites and 37% use social media. Within these patterns, however, there are clear generational differences. Fifty-seven percent of teens get news from social media daily, while that share declines across older groups.
Television follows the opposite pattern. Among adults age 65 and older, 74% get news from television each day, with use increasing steadily across age groups. Adults ages 35 to 64 tend to use a mix of platforms rather than relying on one. At the same time, about half of Americans never use newspapers or podcasts for news, and two thirds never use AI tools.
Topic engagement reflects generational priorities
Differences in platform use align with differences in topic engagement. Americans follow an average of four topics, though 20% say they do not follow any consistently. National politics ranks highest, with 50% following it, followed by local politics, weather, and crime at about 40%. Engagement with hard news topics increases steadily with age, while younger audiences show stronger interest in lifestyle and entertainment content.
Differences in platform use also connect closely to topic interest and trust. Among teens, 48% qualify as avid consumers of lifestyle topics, while 81% get news from creators at least sometimes. In contrast, older adults show stronger engagement with politics and public affairs. About 35% of adults age 65 and older qualify as avid consumers of hard news topics, and 74% get news from television daily.
These behaviors also align with broader trust patterns. Local news ranks highest in usefulness and trust across age groups, even as audiences reach it through different pathways. Younger audiences are more likely to encounter local information through creators and social platforms, while older audiences rely more directly on local outlets. Together, the findings describe a news environment shaped less by replacement than by layering. New forms of discovery continue to grow alongside older habits rather than fully displacing them.
Creators play a growing role in news discovery
The role of influencers and independent creators extends across all age groups, though use declines with age. Overall, 57% of Americans get news from creators at least sometimes. That share reaches 81% among teens and remains above half for most adult groups.
Creators serve multiple roles across topics. About 44% of Americans use them for national news, 41% for entertainment, and 38% for health information. They also appear in local news use, with 35% of Americans getting local news from creators or influencers.
Trust is differentiated, not uniform
Trust in news information remains limited overall, but it varies by source and audience. Fewer than half of Americans express strong confidence in any type of news. Local news ranks highest, followed by national outlets, independent creators, and AI tools.
Views on misinformation follow a similar structure. About 66% assign responsibility to politicians, while 55% point to social media companies and 54% to users. Only 35% assign the same level of responsibility to local news, compared with 43% for independent creators.
A layered and evolving information landscape
AI tools remain limited in both use and trust. Two thirds of Americans say they never use AI for news. And only about 10% view AI as more trustworthy than other sources.
MIP’s findings illustrate a news environment shaped by accumulation rather than replacement. Audiences rely on a mix of traditional and emerging sources, with different balances across age groups. Rather than replacing older habits, new platforms and creators continue to layer onto existing behaviors, creating multiple pathways through the same information ecosystem.
If you’re running a modern media business, you’re probably managing more platforms than staffers who know how to use them. It’s not your fault. Unfortunately, the last decade rewarded speed over coherence. Need email? Add a platform. Need events? Another platform. Need subscriptions, podcasts, video, community, advertising workflow, revenue analytics? Platform, platform, platform.
The result: audience data scattered across seven… nine… 12 systems, depending on how honestly your teams tally it.
And that fragmentation is more than annoying. It’s costing you growth. In fact, if you haven’t started consolidating your tech stack, you’re already behind the media companies who have.
This article makes the case plainly. If you stick with me for the next few minutes, you’ll walk away with one uncomfortable realization and one big opportunity: Consolidation isn’t a cost-cutting exercise. It’s a competitive advantage hiding in plain sight.
The illusion of scale: When growth introduces chaos, not clarity
At the A Media Operator Summit, Anne Marie O’Keefe of Mansueto Ventures, publishers of Fast Company and Inc., captured something media executives rarely say on stage but often say behind closed doors: Your audience doesn’t experience your brand in silos, but your systems do.
She described the reality for most publishers: event attendees, newsletter readers, subscribers, podcast listeners, and site visitors are often the same people, but the data lives in isolated systems that don’t talk to each other. That forces teams to do what she jokingly called “human API work.” This includes tasks like exporting lists, cross-referencing spreadsheets, manually stitching together audience profiles, and hoping nothing breaks.
It’s the media-industry equivalent of rebuilding your car’s engine every time you want to drive it.
And if you’re honest, your organization might be doing the same thing.
The activation gap no one wants to talk about
Here’s where the numbers get uncomfortable: Publishers love to say they’re “data-driven,” but the wheels tend to fall off the moment execution begins.
In our Omeda State of Audience Report 2025, an overwhelming 85% of publishers said that audience data is a competitive advantage. Yet only 9% rate their approach as very effective. It’s not a data shortage. It’s an activation problem.
Most teams analyze data (64%). A fast-growing share even has a defined strategy (57%, up from 35% last year). But when it’s time to act?
Only 45% update strategy based on audience insights.
And just 36% use data to personalize experiences or develop new offerings.
That gap between what publishers know and what publishers do is precisely where consolidation becomes a competitive divider. That’s because:
You can’t activate data you can’t see.
You can’t personalize when your systems don’t talk.
And you definitely can’t innovate when your audience identity lives in a dozen places.
The cost no one calculates: Lost time, lost precision, lost revenue
Media leaders tend to underestimate what fragmentation steals from them because it’s not a single line item. It’s death by a thousand inefficiencies.
Here’s what’s typically hiding in the operational fog:
Time lost to manual data stitching: Most teams spend dozens of hours per week reconciling lists instead of building products.
Missed precision in marketing and monetization: When you “spray and pray” because you don’t trust your data, you burn your list, annoy your audience, and weaken revenue performance.
Redundant systems that quietly compound costs: Many publishers duplicate functionality across 5+ tools, often paying twice for capabilities they can’t fully use.
Slow product iteration: You can’t launch new programs quickly when everything requires yet another data transfer, integration, or workaround.
You won’t see these costs called out as a single line item on the P&L. But they do show up in slipping speed, sluggish innovation, and missed revenue — all at a moment when the most successful media brands are winning by moving fast.
Consolidation is not shrinking. It’s scaling
O’Keefe made an important distinction: “Consolidation does not mean getting smaller.” If anything, fragmentation is what keeps organizations small (creatively, operationally, and financially).
Consolidation means something very different:
One audience identity instead of 12 competing versions
One workflow instead of a labyrinth of partial solutions
One source of truth that unlocks lifetime value, not one-off transactions
Unified systems don’t limit growth. Rather, they enable it by reducing the friction between your ideas and your execution.
When media companies begin to centralize audience data, they don’t just improve internal coordination. They unlock entirely new revenue pathways: smarter product bundling, better targeting, and a clearer view of which companies were ready for deeper engagement.
For a brand with multiple lines of business such as events, editorial, subscriptions, commerce, communities that’s oxygen.
Why now? Because the stakes just changed
We’re in a moment where the companies that win are those who can activate their audience data the fastest. Not collect it. Not warehouse it. Activate it.
AI, personalization, above-average CPMs, and long-term subscriber value all depend on precision, and precision depends on consolidation. The executives who delay will be overtaken not by bigger competitors, but by more focused ones.
Meanwhile, the cost of inaction is growing: silos get deeper, tech debt compounds, expectations rise, and teams get burned out trying to glue everything together manually.
There’s a reason you keep hearing stories about publishers going from seven systems to one or two. They aren’t chasing minimalism. They’re chasing momentum.
There’s a way out, but you need to lead it
If consolidation were easy, everyone would have done it already. This is where the culture piece matters.
You don’t need to lecture your teams about silos, and you don’t need a reorg to realign incentives. What you need is what O’Keefe described: a shared principle that the audience sits at the center of the business. Once teams rally around serving the same human being (not their departmental KPIs), the path becomes clearer.
From there, consolidation becomes less a technical project and more an operational liberation: Move faster, decide faster, monetize smarter.
Omeda is one platform publishers use to consolidate audience data, and it’s a critical step toward a unified view of their audience. But what matters even more is committing to a consolidation strategy that gives your organization a single engine instead of a garage full of mismatched parts.
Tech consolidation and the bottom line
If your business is still running on disconnected systems, you’re not just maintaining the status quo, you’re losing ground. Consolidation isn’t a trend and it is not optional. It’s the foundation for any media company that expects to grow audience value over time.
And whether you choose to tackle it this quarter or this year, the companies that already made the shift have one thing in common: They stopped letting their tech stack dictate the pace of their ambition.
Even for publishers who feel fatigued by DEI debates (or see them as politically risky) the industry’s quiet retreat carries consequences far beyond internal culture. Diverse leadership and reporting teams are strongly linked to trust, credibility, and the ability to reach younger and underserved audiences. For publishers already fighting audience stagnation and revenue pressures, stepping back from DEI may seem easier in the moment, but it risks undermining long-term growth, relevance, and sustainability.
Five years ago, in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, many major businesses in the US announced their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies. It was meant to be a period of reckoning with social inequality, one that would have a long-term impact on culture in general.
That was the case at many news outlets, whose coverage had been blinkered by a lack of minority representation. However, half a decade later, we have seen those initiatives stall–or even backslide.
Dr. Amy Ross Arguedas is a Postdoctoral Researcher Fellow at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, with a particular specialism in trust. She is co-author of the report ‘Race and leadership in the news media 2025: Evidence from five markets’. She describes the situation saying, that “where we saw some improvements during the past five or six years… we just see that things are pretty much back to where they were at the very beginning of all of this.”
Retreat on diversity
The Reuters Institute study found that “in the US, the percentage of top editors of colour also decreased – to 15%, compared with 29% last year”. While causality is difficult to establish, similar trends were also observed in the UK: there are “fewer top editors of colour.” Precisely zero major outlets in the Institute’s sample had a minority editor.
Those trends have been exacerbated by a number of job losses across the industry that disproportionately impact minority journalists. For example, Vibe magazine, a rap and R&B-focused magazine originally co-founded by Quincy Jones, was acquired by Penske Media in October. In the immediate aftermath, many of its journalists were laid off, leading to a fundraiser organized by Vibe reporter Mya Abraham to help the eliminated staffers.
Abraham says: “I’m not sure there’s one or several ways to “ensure” that minorities aren’t disproportionately impacted by layoffs. Several of us have already worked twice as hard to gain half – or less than – a non-minority.
“It’s unfortunate that we’re often the first to be discarded when media companies restructure or fold completely. It would be great if job security was based on actual merit as opposed to someone just blindly making a decision without knowing your true value.”
Similarly, the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) called out the dismantling of minority-focused teams at NBC after a number of job cuts in October. At the time, Errin Haines, NABJ president, said: “the decision to eliminate these diversity teams goes beyond a line item on a budget, executed at a time when accurate and inclusive storytelling is needed most.”
Similarly, the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) has noted the preponderance of job losses among its members. Errin Haines, president of The National Association of Black Journalists, said: “When our industry catches a cold, journalists of color catch the flu, because newsroom cuts always disproportionately impact us. Diversity is too often the casualty of media consolidation, downsizing, or layoffs; we are frequently the last hired and first fired. This is not a new phenomenon, but what is new in this climate is political rhetoric that minimizes the value of diverse perspectives and representation across a range of institutions — including journalism.”
Revenue short-termism
Regardless of the motivations for the job cuts, the question is whether they will deliver any tangible benefit in the long run. As the saying goes, you can’t cut your way to growth.
That calculation becomes even more precarious when the potential audience upside of diverse coverage is considered. Many media organizations are now relying on reaching new audiences and media companies across the board must prepare for generational turnover. Some, including the LA Times, have launched sub-editions dedicated to reaching minority audiences, which are predicated on being able to speak to that community knowledgeably and authentically. Doing so requires representation in terms of journalists.
Jendella Benson is head of editorial for Black Ballad. She explains that “Audiences are not ‘locked in’ to heritage/mainstream media brands as they once were with so many options out there. They will go wherever they feel their values and concerns are reflected. Even in digital media, we are already seeing some of this happening with audience fragmentation. People are moving away from established media brands for various reasons, and moving towards more ‘niche’ or highly specific outlets that either share their interests or political perspectives.”
It’s a position backed up by the Reuters Institute’s research. Where there isn’t representation, there is a lack of an ability to spot the opportunities to speak to new communities. Dr. Arguedas explains: “As we note in the fact sheet there can be an argument made in terms of your ability to speak to certain kinds of audiences, to understand their needs.
As the report states, “Failing to address these disparities… can also potentially erode trust, particularly among marginalized and under-served groups that have for a very long time expressed their discontent and grievances around how their communities are portrayed in the news media.”
That is especially important given that a lack of trust in the news media is frequently cited as one of the main reasons for a lack of financial support for news, particularly among young audiences. Cutting back on diversity, then, leads to a less diverse audience profile in turn, stunting opportunities for audience growth.
Ethical and commercial synergy
A number of the biggest US-based publications declined to share their future DEI plans for this article. In the UK, where the political situation is perhaps less fraught, national publisher Reach plc cited a number of its ongoing initiatives, including its work with The Prince’s Trust to encourage young people from underrepresented backgrounds to get into journalism:
“Through that program we now have 8 young people in our newsrooms on training contracts who might have otherwise found it more difficult to break into the profession. This year we have renewed the program with a focus on regional newsrooms.”
Notably, much of the messaging around the DEI initiatives that do still exist, such as those at Reach plc, is predicated on the idea that it is the right thing to do. Increasing equity is the end in itself for some news organizations, rather than a path to profitability.
However, the two aims are not mutually exclusive. Benson says: “Media platforms who are offloading ‘the diversity’ within their newsrooms and editorial departments are essentially accelerating their decline in my opinion. They might be able to keep treading water for now, but when more of Generation Alpha start to age into media consumption, they will find an audience that will not have the inclination to engage with a brand that doesn’t match their expectations when it comes to basic representation.
“And as we know, advertisers go wherever the audience is.”
It would not be fair to single out the media industry for that backslide. Companies including Amazon, Disney, Google and Meta have abandoned DEI policies, which the Guardian attributes to pressure placed upon them by the Trump administration. It cites research from law firm Freeths, which found that 22% of respondents said profit motivations came into conflict with ethical and moral concerns at their organization “very regularly”. 32% said regularly, and 37% said sometimes.
The difference is that, for an industry that is predominantly based on audience trust, journalism cannot afford to become any less diverse. Abandoning DEI might be more palatable to the powerful right now, but in the long-term it risks making media outlets less appealing to the young and minority audiences that their future depends upon.
Teens have grown up in an always-on information environment. They scroll through feeds that mix news, entertainment, opinion, advertising, and misinformation. They live inside a swirl of voices that compete for their attention and reward reaction over clarity. As a result, today’s teens approach news with deep skepticism and strong emotion, according to a new report from the News Literacy Project.
The report underscores how valuable this audience is for news organizations and how important it is for news organizations to understand their expectations. The latest U.S. Census data shows 69.31 million Gen Z individuals living in the U.S., totaling more than 20% of the population. Their spending power is projected to reach $2.7 trillion in the next few years and as much as $12 trillion by 2030, according to NielsenIQ. However, this large and influential audience brings new challenges, interests, and expectations for the news media.
Negative impressions
The News Literacy Project report shows that teens hold overwhelmingly negative impressions of the news media. When researchers ask teens for a single word that describes news media today, 84% choose a negative one. The most common responses include “Fake,” “Crazy,” “Boring,” “Biased,” and “Sad.” A word cloud in the report fills with these terms, bold and unavoidable. Teens also describe the news environment as chaotic, overwhelming, inflammatory, and stressful. They form these views long before they develop steady news habits. They live in an information ecosystem that presents news as noise instead of a tool for understanding. They experience news as something that interrupts rather than one that informs.
Mixed views on journalists
Teens are also skeptical about journalists themselves. When teens think about what journalists do well, 37% offer a negative response. Many say journalists lie, deceive, exaggerate, or push an agenda. These reactions show how deeply teens mistrust the content they encounter. At the same time, teens also point to traits they admire about media pros. They highlight informing the public, uncovering the truth, and creating strong storytelling. The report suggests the mix of frustration and hope implies something deeper. They understand journalism as an ideal separate from the sloppy, crowded feeds they scroll through every day.
Teens want honesty, accuracy, and fairness
Teens care most about accuracy and honesty. When researchers ask how journalists could improve, teens focus first on getting the facts right. Their strongest cluster of feedback centers on truthfulness. They want reporting that includes multiple perspectives, explains the full story, and offers fairness and clarity. They want journalism that informs rather than inflames. Teens do not reject the idea of news; they challenge the versions they see most often.
Teens also express clear expectations for journalism. About 41% say honesty and factual accuracy matter most, and another 20% ask for less bias and stronger balance. When teens point to positive actions journalists take, they most often cite informing the public and uncovering the truth. Their expectations align closely with the strongest principles of standards-based journalism. They want reporters who demonstrate credibility, show their work, and respect their audience.
Confusion about journalism
The News Literacy Project also identifies widening confusion among teens about how journalism works. Many teens believe unethical actions take place far more often than standards-based practices. They believe journalists take photos or videos out of context, make up quotes, or give advertisers special treatment.
These beliefs have arisen from the information landscape teens navigate every day. They see content that looks like news but ignores journalistic standards. They see creators who chase attention through tactics that break the rules of credible reporting. Because teens encounter these blended forms of information nonstop, they often treat all content as equal and struggle to distinguish between reporting, entertainment, persuasion, and fabrication.
Teens signal what they need from news
The research reveals serious challenges, yet it also shows momentum. Teens hold the potential to become a significant new audience for news companies. They want reporting that treats them as thoughtful people who seek meaning, not noise.
They express frustration because they rarely see consistent standards in the content that reaches them. Their critiques point to gaps in clarity, confusion about information types, and constant exposure to low-quality or misleading content. Yet even as they voice these concerns, they show a clear appreciation for accuracy, balance, and reporting that earns their trust. Their expectations align with the core principles of credible journalism. This audience offers news organizations not just feedback, but a roadmap for building meaningful, lasting connections with a rising generation of news consumers.
Hispanic audiences are driving cultural trends and redefining media engagement across the U.S. With nearly one fifth of the population and more than $4.1 trillion (about $13,000 per person) in spending power, they influence not just what content gets made, but how it is consumed, shared, and monetized. Nielsen’s latest report, How Hispanic Viewers Are Creating Their Media Experiences, highlights the scale and impact of this cultural and economic force.
Young, connected, and culturally rooted
Hispanic viewers are the youngest demographic in the U.S., with a median age of 31. Approximately 37% of Hispanic households have children under 18, fueling media habits that emphasize flexibility, mobility, and personalization. Multigenerational households foster dynamic viewing environments where cultural traditions influence media choices.
Media curators in the attention economy
Hispanic audiences engage with media deliberately. They curate their own experiences. Streaming services, social platforms, and podcasts are central, offering entertainment and connection on their terms.
Streaming dominates, particularly among younger audiences who cut the cord in favor of on-demand programming. Yet linear television remains an anchor, especially Spanish-language content that resonates deeply with cultural identity.
Variety shows and conversational formats remain highly popular. Nearly 20% of Hispanic broadcast viewing goes to variety programming, well above the national average. These formats maintain traditions of community and shared humor, from classics like Sábado Gigante to sketches influencing mainstream shows such as Saturday Night Live.
Podcasts and radio continue to thrive, with radio reaching 93% of Hispanic listeners monthly, and podcast listeners are 62% more likely than average to act on ads. Low-clutter, trusted environments offer significant brand opportunities.
Algorithm Influencers: taking control of digital spaces
Representation matters. More than half of Hispanic consumers want to see themselves reflected in social media and advertising, especially Spanish-speaking audiences. In response, many become creators themselves, producing content that elevates voices and curates culturally relevant feeds.
Hispanic audiences are digital trendsetters. They are 29% more likely to use AI tools like ChatGPT, 115% more likely to use video editing apps like CapCut. They are also 80% more likely to leverage platforms like Linktree to control their online presence. Social shopping is also strong, 51% frequently buy products they see on social media, and 35% say shoppable ads make purchasing easier.
Nielsen’s 2025 report shows marketers chasing audiences on digital and streaming, but many are missing Hispanic viewers. In Q1 2025, online retailers spent $363M on English-language ads versus just $3.4M on Spanish-language, mostly on YouTube. This is a missed opportunity for marketers to engage with the Hispanic consumers.
Soccer champions: passion that drives engagement
Hispanic audiences are avid “fanáticos”, shaping U.S. soccer culture. They are 39% more likely than the general population to follow Major League Soccer, and 58% become fans through friends. The majority, 72%, are Gen Z or Millennials, driving a youthful, influential fan base.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup, playing across North America, amplifies this impact. Already, 40% of U.S. Hispanic consumers identify as World Cup fans, particularly among first- and second-generation audiences. Cities like New York and Miami, with large Hispanic populations, are places of deep engagement.
Soccer fandom is active, not passive. They are 21% more likely to stream sports and gravitate toward mobile-first content. On social media, they’re setting the pace, turning to TikTok for sports news at rates 38% higher than the average fan. Hispanic fans are also more likely to buy from sponsors and recommend sponsoring brands, making them a powerful force for growth in the sports economy.
Learning from Hispanic audiences: culture as strategy
The message is clear. Culture is not an accessory; it is a strategy. Hispanic consumers are young, digitally savvy, and culturally connected. They curate media, influence algorithms, and champion cultural touchpoints that resonate far beyond their community.
Media companies are already leaning in, building audience growth strategies that put Hispanic viewers at the center. They’re partnering with creators who reflect identity and values, and develop content that resonates with family, culture, and digital habits. For media companies, the payoff goes beyond capturing attention. It’s about shaping how Hispanic audiences tell their stories, connect through culture, and influence the broader media landscape.
The streaming landscape continues to evolve, with viewers increasingly leaning into affordability and simplicity over sheer volume of content. Rising prices and a growing number of services are driving many consumers to explore lower-cost, ad-supported options. These shifting preferences are prompting media companies to adjust their monetization strategies to balance subscription income with advertising revenue.
Hub Entertainment Research’s latest Monetizing Video study report shows that price fatigue is real. Hub reports that viewers are increasingly tolerant of ads, especially when this option provides cost savings. They also find that consumers are choosing bundling offers that deliver the right mix of services and features, and – for the right services – subscribers will stay engaged and loyal.
Consumers’ streaming spend nears the limit
Hub’s data shows that the average consumer spends $83 per month on TV services. When researchers ask respondents about their ideal spending level, they say they feel comfortable spending up to about $86. Those who pay for three or more services already exceed their comfort zone and show little willingness to add more.
This mirrors findings from Kantar’s Q2 2025 Entertainment on Demand report, which notes that U.S. streaming households are adding services at the slowest pace in three years, with growth driven primarily by price promotions or bundled offers. Similar trends appear in Deloitte’s Digital Media Trends study, where 47% of consumers say rising subscription costs have prompted them to cancel at least one service in the past six months.
Bundles boost loyalty and reduce churn
Hub’s research finds that new streaming bundles, such as Disney+ with Max or Hulu paired with Disney+, dramatically improve loyalty. Forty-two percent of users report they are much more likely to keep bundled services compared to subscribing to the same services separately.
And, echoing what we found in DCN’s Subscription Tracking Report Q2 2025, the bundling trend is only increasing, especially in SVOD, digital news, magazines, and audio. Fifty-seven percent of subscribers now subscribe to at least one bundle. Bundles offer the perception of savings, simplify subscription management, and make it a more difficult consideration for viewers to churn.
What viewers value most in streaming services
To identify what drives value perception, Hub asked respondents to rank 16 different service attributes. “Low price” still tops the list, which is unsurprising. However, several shifts stand out from last year’s rankings:
Binge-watching full seasons is important, a feature Netflix helped popularize, and competitors now match.
Tolerance for ads is increasing. The importance of “no ads” as a top feature is declining as more viewers embrace free, ad-supported options like Tubi, Roku Channel, and YouTube.
Live sports are gaining ground in perceived value, reflecting the migration of sports rights from traditional TV to streamers.
Access to new theatrical movies is less critical than in previous years, with audiences leaning into original series instead.
Choice of plan tiers matters less than it did in 2022, as consumers gravitate toward simplified bundles.
Ad-supported models gain ground
Hub’s findings on ad tolerance dovetail with broader market data. An Ampere analysis reports that ad-supported tiers from Netflix and Disney+ outperform early expectations. These streaming services attract cost-sensitive subscribers while keeping them in their ecosystem.
The takeaway for streaming services
Industry implications:
Keep pricing pressure in check, monitoring when consumers are at their limit.
Lean into bundles that combine complementary services and simplify billing.
Highlight evergreen value drivers like low price, unlimited access, and binge-worthy content.
Expand ad-supported options that balance affordability with strong programming.
For viewers, these trends promise more manageable bills and fewer subscription headaches. For streamers, bundling and ad-supported strategies offer a path to stable revenue without alienating customers already stretched thin.
The streaming era may be maturing, but it is not slowing down. Price sensitivity is impacting consumer behavior. Therefore, value-added bundles and adaptable pricing models keep the relationship between viewer and streamer strong.
But, unlike a number of other legacy social networks, the platform continues to go from strength to strength. Back in 2022, I argued on these pages that media companies need a dedicated YouTube strategy, a sentiment that remains equally relevant three years on.
Here are six reasons why many media companies need to reconsider the value they attach to YouTube, and six proven tactics to help maximize their impact and approach to the platform.
YouTube enjoys huge reach and engagement
According to the Business of Apps website, YouTube has more than 2.7 billion monthly active users. Over 238 million of these users are in the U.S., the StatsUp site notes. In terms of reach, that makes it either the biggest, or second largest, social network in the world, depending on your source. Either way, it’s a huge audience.
Lastly, engagement dwarves other social networks. “YouTube takes the lion’s share of … social media time,” commentsSimon Kemp, the Chief Analyst at DataReportal. “The world spends almost twice as much time using YouTube as it spends using the platform’s next nearest rival, TikTok.”
Despite this, many publishers continue to treat YouTube as an afterthought compared to shinier, newer, visual-oriented platforms like the aforementioned TikTok or Instagram.
Esra Dogramaci, a digital news executive and YouTube specialist, who has worked for international broadcasters including Al Jazeera, BBC, DW, and others, agrees. “News organizations [and] publishers should have always been paying attention to YouTube,” she told me. “We often forget that YouTube is the second biggest search engine, and [the] world’s largest video platform.”
It’s a core platform for reaching Gen Z and Gen Alpha
Efforts to more effectively engage younger audiences is a key goal for many media companies. It’s no surprise that YouTube can be a pivotal plank in these strategies. Afterall, as Rande Price, VP, Research at Digital Content Next, recently reflected, “prioritizing video formats that are concise, authentic, and visually native to social platforms is essential to reaching Gen Z.”
Data published at the end of last year found that more than seven in 10 Gen Z consumers (71%) discover new media content (such as music, podcasts, and TV series) through YouTube, only just behind social media as a whole (72%).
Moreover, 73% of U.S. teens aged 13-17 (a mix of Generation Z and Generation Alpha, a demographic born after 2010) say they use YouTube every day. According to insights from the Pew Research Center, that means YouTube is “the most widely used and visited platform” among this age group. That includes 15% who said that their use of the platform is “almost constant.”
Short-form video is growing in popularity
There are multiple ways to harness YouTube to attract younger audiences. As Price points out, “tone, pace, and relevance” are intrinsic to this. Those sentiments are applicable to all content on the platform, including YouTube Shorts, an area seeing considerable growth. Last month, Neal Mohan, YouTube’s CEO, revealed that “YouTube Shorts are now averaging over 200 billion daily views!”
That audience isn’t just Gen Z, although they are a significant share of Shorts consumers.
Publisher’s short video strategies therefore should encompass YouTube, as well as TikTok, and Reels on Facebook and Instagram. These formats can also encourage consumption of long-form video, as well as acting as their own, standalone, genre.
“YouTube Shorts is… the ‘take away’ version prior to the ‘dine in’ experience,” contends Dogramaci. She argues that Shorts can serve as a gateway to your main channel especially if it is fully optimized. (For tips on how to do this, read to the end of the article!)
“It appeals to younger audiences with short-form content,” she says, “provided that you’ve done all the housekeeping in terms of channel and video optimization.”
According to Edison, YouTube is the most popular service for listening to podcasts in the United States, ahead of Spotify and Apple. So, if content creators aren’t distributing their podcasts on YouTube, they are potentially missing out.
Furthermore, “YouTube is often the first place people go when looking for a new podcast,” the platform’s blog claimed earlier this year. To aid with this discovery, in May, the company began releasing a weekly chart of YouTube’s Top 100 podcast shows in the U.S.
And as the differentiation between video and audio content continues to blur, Gen Z is driving much of this trend, Edison found. Their research stated that this age group feels that “video provides a better understanding of context/tone through facial expressions and gestures,” and it also enables consumers to feel “more connected to the podcaster(s).”
It’s big on screens of all sizes
Although the smaller screen garners a considerable amount of YouTube consumption, the growth of connected TV’s (CTV) has also been pivotal in YouTube’s continued growth.
That said, the platform is at pains to point out that this isn’t the same as “the ‘old’ television,” pointing to Shorts (which are popular on TV, just ask my kids), live streams, podcasts, sports, and full shows, as part of the platform’s content mix.
Given these findings, in an age of investment in FAST channels (Free Ad-Supported Streaming Television) it’s a reminder that brands and media companies still need to factor YouTube into their video strategies. Its TV audience is simply too big to ignore.
YouTube matters to news consumers
The variety of content on YouTube, and its reputation as a source for entertainment, influencers, and User Generated Content (UGC) can mask its popularity as a platform for news and information. New data from the Digital News Report 2025 emphasizes this. Around a third of their global sample uses YouTube (30%) for news each week, just behind Facebook (36%). Given that weekly usage of YouTube for any purpose stood at 63% this is a high percentage of global digital news consumers using the platform for news.
Source: Slide 15 of Esra Dogramaci’s presentation (see below)
In major markets such as India, the use of YouTube for news stands at more than 50%, an important consideration for international news brands seeking to gain a foothold in the world’s most populous nation. Large news audiences on the platform can also be found in other major emerging markets such as Nigeria, South Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Brazil.
Making inroads into these markets won’t necessarily be easy for traditional media brands, however, as much of the consumption is centered around what the Report authors refer to as “alternative media voices.” This category includes online influencers and personalities, independent journalists, as well as politicians who can go direct to audiences, by-passing traditional media gatekeepers.
Nevertheless, given concerns about misinformation on YouTube – and other social networks – there are opportunities for trusted news and media brands to meet user needs for news and information. And they are in a position to do so in a manner that also offers the credibility that audiences desire.
Conclusion
YouTube’s reach, variety of content offerings, and resonance with younger and news audiences mean that it is an essential distribution platform for publishers in 2025. Of course, it’s not without its challenges. Around 70% of content is algorithmically recommended, meaning that YouTube’s recommendation engine can divert viewers away from publisher channels to other creators. It can also be very difficult to drive traffic from the site back to your own properties.
Yet, YouTube’s size, versatility, and reach – especially with Gen Z and teens – make it hard to overlook. Whether your goal is audience growth, revenue diversification, or brand-building, a dedicated YouTube strategy will be a must for many content creators. Publishers who invest in understanding and leveraging YouTube’s evolving ecosystem will be best positioned to thrive in the digital content landscape; and the pivotal role YouTube plays in this space.
Bringing it all together: 6 essential tips to successfully implement a YouTube strategy
Esra Dogramaci has been leading teams innovating on YouTube for more than a decade. Her experience includes leading the BBC World Service YouTube channels, through to receiving a YouTube Innovation Grant in 2023. The grant enabled her to develop and iterate on YouTube Shorts, while working as the Managing Editor at SBS, one of Australia’s public broadcasters.
In June 2025, Esra presented a session on YouTube for Changer on behalf of the Google Digital News Initiative on YouTube for busy newsrooms. The presentation is here.
Based on that presentation and our conversation, here are six practical recommendations that will enable media companies to nail their presence on YouTube.
Ditch the “Archive” Mindset: Stop treating YouTube as a mere “archive or simple video upload mechanism,” she says. Many media companies with a broadcast arm fall into the trap of “cutting and pasting TV content onto YouTube.” This material “regularly fail[s] to perform because the audiences are different.”
Meet User Needs: Success on YouTube is “less about volume, and more about understanding your audience and curating an offering that will resonate with them,” Dogramaci advises.
She highlights how former Vox producers Cleo Abram and Johnny Harris use YouTube to illustrate this. They “upload once or a few times a month and their videos will typically perform better” because “they know their audience, so they can engineer their content to perform.”
Presented in a style that “is a far cry from the buttoned down presenter reading your evening TV news bulletin,” their work remains substantial and substantive. It’s not dumbed down and connects with audiences by explaining “why this matters,” or “why you should know,” or “why this affects you.”
Prioritizing the Right Metrics: Don’t get fixated on views alone. “A view can be one second, it can be 10 minutes, it can be the same person watching a clip over and over again.” Instead, Dogramaci advises that the most important performance indicators on YouTube are watch time, subscribers, and active subscribers.
Watch time, representing the “actual amount of content consumed,” is crucial; “the more the better,” as it signals resonance and makes your video more likely to be surfaced.” Think of subscribers as your “loyal fans,” she suggests.
Engineer Every Video for Peak Performance: This means obsessing over the thumbnail, a “shop window” that must entice viewers. Your headline must be catchy, and accurate, supported by keywords, tags, and accurate video descriptions. A great banner, custom URL, and content organized into playlists, are also vital for success.
Embrace Niche and New Formats: The “best performing channels are those that know their audience and don’t try to be everything to everyone.” Even big broadcasters might see that their best-performing content is focused on niches. This content, like Deutsche Welle’s “dress code” series, can be evergreen. In contrast to broadcast, “YouTube content [often] has a much longer shelf life,” Dogramaci says.
Implement Continuous Improvement Don’t just upload and forget. Dogramaci recommends bringing different YouTube teams and channels together to learn from each other. By sharing best practices, Dogramaci helped oversee growth at 20 BBC YouTube channels, akin to “the biggest growth of any off-platform product in those years (300% in watch time and 550% in subscribers).”
In applying these principles, media leaders should avoid simply piling more work onto busy teams. “The bottom line is… always about doing less, just doing it better,” she says.
At some point in 2020, accelerated by the pandemic and the kids using endless hours of TikTok scrolling as a coping mechanism, short-form video surged into a major part of modern media consumption. Even for those of us who grew up on cable TV and later binged on Netflix, Gen Z is reshaping how we discover, consume, and engage with video content. Younger audiences have turned scrollable, snackable video into something so much more satisfying than a Quibi; it’s now a cultural mainstay.
That’s the wake-up call from our latest DCN research, Decoding Video Content Engagement: Gen Z & Gen Y in Focus, a two-part study conducted with Magid. We launched the project last year with in-depth, hour-long qualitative interviews to get a baseline on the latest language and media mindset of younger audiences. We then took a quantitative dive into what we now see as a landmark report for DCN and its member companies. To be clear: the numbers don’t just hint at a subtle shift. They chart a generational rewrite of what video means and what audiences expect it to do.
The headline? They don’t watch. They participate.
Simply put, video is no longer a passive experience characterized by a surge of short-form experiences on social platforms. Our research shows that 92% of Gen Z interacts with video on social platforms at least once a week – liking, commenting, remixing and sharing. But even more striking, nearly two-thirds (64%) of teens aged 13–17 create and post original video content weekly. Notably, this statistic drops materially to 40% for ages 18-22 (the back half of Gen Z). That’s a clarion call for those seeking to understand the expectations of the next wave of digital natives and why we labeled them “The Creator Generation” in this report.
For the youngest Gen Z users, “watching” isn’t a lean back experience. It’s a ticket to creative expression. Video isn’t something they just watch. It’s something they do. This dynamic is upending the traditional hierarchies of content and control. The line between viewer and creator is fading and with it, many of the historic relationships between storytelling, advertising, and brands.
Creators are the new gatekeepers
In the past, a media brand’s value lived in logo recognition and distribution demand. Today, particularly with the youngest audiences, it’s more likely to live in the hands of creators with cultural credibility and fluency. These individual creators are now the benchmark: remarkably they beat out all other creator types in being perceived as more creative, entertaining, interesting, and informative.
These creators are not the typical influencers posting their user-generated content to make a paycheck. They are micro media empires of all backgrounds. And they’re setting the tone for what today’s audience deems engaging, real, and worth watching. All of this accumulates in more trust.
And that trust gap is telling. While 88% of younger audiences trust friends, family, and creators, traditional brands fall significantly behind even though they’re visible. Yes, 93% of Gen Z still says they often see brand content. But awareness isn’t the same as engagement. And in a world where users can scroll past your video in a second (with a paltry three seconds being the magical sweet spot for nearly half of the young users in the research), that difference can be everything.
Authenticity isn’t a bonus – it’s the baseline
If you’re still investing in glossy, highly produced videos that feel like they came from a corporate studio instead of an actual human being – stop. The bar has moved. Individual creators are not major media brands. Think about it: People are flawed. In a world where the individual creator is more trusted, entertaining and engaging, a perfectly pressed and buttoned up production will not resonate like a rumpled shirt and bit of bedhead.
Authenticity is the baseline. When asked what they value most in video content, Gen Z chose originality, honesty, and authenticity far ahead of production value or polish. This generation can smell marketing a mile away and they’ll scroll right past it – teaching the algorithm you aren’t worth their precious time.
Instead, they want content that reflects them: unfiltered, participatory, and emotionally resonant. Think behind-the-scenes looks, first-person storytelling, raw filming, and creator collaborations that feel like a natural fit rather than transactional development deal.
So, what should media companies do?
We know the stakes are high. Premium publishers – many of whom DCN proudly represents – are once again navigating a digital ecosystem shaped by generational shifts, platform upheaval, and algorithmic opacity described to our researchers innocently as “TikTok magic.” However, this moment is also an opportunity.
Here’s how media brands can strategically respond:
1. Design for engagement, not impressions
Simply showing up isn’t enough anymore. Content needs to invite participation. Whether it’s Q&As, remixable challenges, or comment-driven formats, the most successful brands treat viewers like collaborators, not consumers.
2. Co-create with cultural insiders
Want to build trust and relevance? Partner with the creators your audience already respects. Not as brand spokespeople, but as co-storytellers. This isn’t about inserting your brand into youth culture. It’s about amplifying voices that already move your audience.
3. Reimagine platform strategy
TikTok is not YouTube. Instagram is certainly not Facebook (even if it’s the same parent company). And your content shouldn’t be a one-size-fits-all proposition. Create native video strategies that reflect the tone, pacing, and expectations of each platform. If you can’t do it everywhere at once in ways that resonate on each platform then pick your platform(s) of choice based on your content, audience and opportunity.
4. Lead with values – and humanity
Gen Z and Gen Y want entertainment. But they also care about who is behind the content. Our research confirms that younger users reward brands that are transparent, socially aware, and human. If your brand voice on social sounds like it was built by a committee, it’s time to revisit the script.
5. Build with the “SHARES” formula
If you want engagement, your video content should tap at least one of the six drivers identified by our DCN research team. Our SHARES formula – which includes Storytelling, Humor, Authenticity, Raw, Engagement, and Surprise – isn’t merely a checklist. It’s a roadmap for emotional connection and engagement.
The future Is participatory
The question isn’t whether Gen Z and Gen Y will continue to redefine video. They already have. The question is whether the larger media industry will listen.
At DCN, we believe that high-quality, trusted content is more important than ever to the future. But trust now resides in how and where you show up, not just what you say. If media brands want to stay relevant, we must not only reflect the values of these generations. We must also create space for them to shape the stories themselves.
Premium media brands like our DCN members have a powerful edge: credibility, creativity, and a direct relationship with their audiences. But competing in this new era of short-form video requires humility, agility, and a willingness to let go of legacy thinking.
Gen Z and Gen Y aren’t just watching video content—they’re rewriting the rules of engagement. That’s the big wake-up call from DCN’s latest exclusive study for our members, Decoding Video Content Engagement: Gen Z & Gen Y in Focus.
Focused on how younger audiences interact with video across YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, and X, the research reveals a seismic shift in behavior. “They don’t just watch — they engage,” the report states. This highlights how younger generations like, comment, and co-create instead of being content to passively consume. For media brands, the report offers essential intelligence that profoundly impacts the future of video strategy and audience growth.
Key research findings
DCN’s study delivers a detailed breakdown of how Gen Z and Gen Y engage across platforms, what content and creators they connect with, and how media brands can build relevance in a fragmented, fast-paced digital landscape. Among the key findings:
Younger audiences scroll fast, but they stay for authenticity. The three-second rule rules everything: Bold visuals, compelling storytelling, and authenticity are essential from frame one.
Creators are brands. Independent creators aren’t just influencers—they’re media ecosystems.
YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram lead the pack. While Facebook maintains its hold on older millennials, TikTok has Gen Z’s full attention. YouTube is the universal middle ground, but each platform demands a unique approach and longer-form content.
New rules of engagement
This research unpacks the new rules of engagement in the video landscape, analyzing everything from platform behavior to creator trust and brand perception.
Viewing behavior redefined
Gen Z and Gen Y don’t passively “watch.” They like, comment, remix, and participate. Brands that encourage interaction win their attention.
Creators are the new kingmakers
Independent creators aren’t just more trusted than traditional media, they’re setting the bar for what’s entertaining, authentic, and engaging.
Platform wars
TikTok dominates Gen Z, while Gen Y still lingers on Facebook. YouTube offers depth; Instagram delivers instant hits. Understanding this split is critical.
Vertical video power
Whether it’s News, Sports, Lifestyle, or Entertainment, content verticals play out differently across platforms and generations.
Strategic framework for media brands
“The research shows the mission hasn’t changed: build trust through quality media. But the playbook? It’s being blown up and rewritten by Gen Z,” observes DCN CEO Jason Kint. He points out that “This generation doesn’t just expect content to be authentic and human, they demand it as a price of entry or will scroll right by you. If your video strategy still feels like it was made for TV, you’re already losing. Brands will need to catch up or get left behind.”
To that end, DCN’s research report goes beyond the “what” and delivers the “how.” It identifies clear, actionable strategies for media companies to thrive:
Lead with interactivity
Brands must create video content with participation in mind—think remixable content, Q&As, duets, and challenges.
Prioritize authenticity
In a world where the raw and real outperform the overly produced, brands must sound human and feel genuine to build trust.
Embrace co-creation
Younger audiences want to participate in the content, not just watch it. Partner with creators who have cultural currency and credibility.
Use the right platform for the right story
A one-size-fits-all video strategy is no longer viable. TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook all deliver value differently—and DCN’s data shows how to play to each strength.
For this generation, video isn’t just something to watch, it’s something to do. Engagement, co-creation, and alignment with values like authenticity and cultural fluency are increasingly central to how content is received and shared.
The full research report is available to DCN members only. Register to or login to download (on desktop see top right corner of page, on mobile the top center). Download buttons will appear at the top and bottom of the page.
Differences in international and generational media preferences inform evolving technology and industry patterns and continue to keep things interesting in 2025. Conventional media categories are becoming more fluid, inviting new opportunities. A new report by Nielsen Media Analytics, the 2025 Global Media Planning Guide, provides actionable insights.
Overall, an accelerating trend is the convergence of multiple platforms – from streaming services to social media. This presents significant challenges:
Adapting to current generational media preferences. Different age groups engage with media uniquely across various markets, calling for customized strategies.
Understanding international users’ media habits. Media trends and the pace of transition differ across countries, requiring flexible approaches.
Harmonizing traditional and digital media. It’s essential to allocate investments effectively across established and emerging platforms.
Streaming audiences vary internationally
According to Nielson’s data, traditional TV remains the dominant choice among older U.S. audiences and some countries outside of the U.S., while U.S. residents in general, and younger audiences around the world, are gravitating increasingly towards digital media. Connected TV (CTV) reach has steadily surpassed live and time-shifted TV reach over the past few years, but total use of the television has remained steady since the first quarter of 2022, demonstrating its resilience.
The specifics vary significantly across global markets, however. Take Poland versus the U.S., for example. In the U.S., CTV devices and streaming services have become the dominant viewing method. Whereas, in Poland, traditional TV remains the primary viewing platform. Only about 8% of total viewing time in Poland was spent on streaming in the first half of 2024, according to the Nielson data. In the U.S., streaming accounted for around 40% of TV viewership during the same period.
Americans spent about half of their TV viewership on broadcast and cable combined. In Poland, the combination of satellite and cable amounted to almost two-thirds of viewing time. U.S. audiences spent 38% of their time on streaming- significantly more than Polish viewers at 22%. The data emphasizes the need for flexible global media strategies, with traditional and digital platforms coexisting to meet diverse audience preferences.
Streaming audiences vary across generations
As younger audiences worldwide gravitate toward digital media, older generations retain their preference for traditional television. In the U.S., individuals aged 2-34 spend more than 60% of their TV viewing time on streaming platforms. Those ages 50-64 spent well over half of their time on broadcast and cable TV as opposed to streaming, while those 65+ spent fully 75% of their viewing time on broadcast and cable TV combined, and less than a quarter on streaming media.
In Thailand, a similar pattern prevails, with adults over 40 preferring TV to social media or video streaming platforms. Gen Z shows the lowest preference for traditional TV viewership of all age groups in Thailand (47%), favoring digital alternatives, whereas the 55+ demographic exhibits the highest linear TV viewership (62%), according to Nielson’s data.
However, it’s important to note that older viewers generally watch significantly more total TV compared to younger audiences. This holds true in the U.S. as well as Thailand, where all types of media have a greater reach among older audiences. According to a recent Deloitte report, Boomers spent an average of 3.5 hours per day watching TV shows and movies on streaming video services, cable, or live-streaming TV, while Gen Z audiences spent about 2.1 hours per day on those activities.
This dynamic has implications not only for how content is consumed but also how it is created, delivered, and marketed. As digital natives grow up, they are driving a new era of on-demand streaming, mobile media consumption, and personalized content algorithms. Meanwhile, the media industry must continue to accommodate older people, who remain loyal to traditional formats and are often heavy consumers of media. For example, older generations are more likely to keep their cable or satellite TV subscriptions long-term, while Generation Z and millennial cable subscribers are more than twice as likely to indicate that they plan to terminate their subscriptions within the year, according to Deloitte’s 2025 Digital Media Trends report.
Why some audiences still prefer linear TV
Linear TV retains some advantages in addition to the loyalty of older and international audiences, as pointed out by Vijya Amirtham on VPlayed. It is conducive to live events, such as sports, games, and award shows, which have massive appeal to large audiences. Linear TV also enables targeting by advertisers based on channel, genre, and airtime. Viewers tend to find TV ads more credible, especially on trusted channels, and are conditioned to expect ads when watching linear TV. Amirtham also asserts linear TV audiences “are predominantly associated with affluent groups.”
Boundaries between traditional TV and digital media are blurring with the evolution of Cloud TV and Over-the-Top-Television (OTT)- traditional TV content such as series and movies watched over the internet. These technologies are enticing viewers by combining the benefits of linear TV and more fluid digital mediums that offer on-demand viewing and are sometimes free of traditional ads. Amirtham recommends developing a linear TV app as one method for media leaders to expand and enhance audience engagement.
Maintaining and growing audiences
As DCN previously reported, younger generations are gravitating towards streaming services and social platforms and away from traditional TV. However, while media companies keep a keen eye on Gen Z trend-shapers, it is also wise to accommodate mature and international audiences, who are loyal and heavy consumers of traditional media formats.
For media leaders, it’s still too soon to abandon linear—if the goal is to reach the widest audience possible. Instead, deliver integrated solutions that merge linear TV and streaming assets, while working to enhance cross-platform integration. Effective strategies across age groups, international markets, and media platforms will depend on accurate measurement, outreach, and partnerships. The growing convergence of platforms invites opportunities to cultivate deeper connections with viewers around the world.
