Forecast: Gen Z to consume 13 hours of media daily in 2023
October 14, 2022
Generation Z, defined as 16 to 24s, is forecasted to spend 13 hours consuming media per day in 2023, slightly behind their 25 to 34 counterparts, according to the Global Ad Trends report: Finding Gen Z by WARC Media.
From broadcast radio to podcasts, online TV/streaming to linear TV, it’s forecasted at least 40 minutes will be spent on each channel per day. Social media is the channel that the age cohort spends most of their time on, forecasted to reach 177 minutes in 2023. The generation will likely spend an hour and a half streaming content on OTT, and almost an hour listening to podcasts.
Offline media consumption, including broadcast radio, linear TV, and print press, has remained stable across the past decade, with 16 to 24s worldwide forecasted to spend on average 179 minutes (almost three hours) per day on all offline channels.
Aside from social media, music streaming is the channel where the 16 to 24 cohort spends the most time. All regions bar APAC have seen triple-digit growth in daily average online audio media consumption among Gen Z listeners since 2017 – most noticeably Latin America (+130 per cent), Europe (+129 per cent), and North America (+105 per cent).
WARC Media’s report studies the most digital generation to date – Gen Z – through their media behaviours.
Other key findings include:
- In Q2 2022, digital channels account for two-thirds (67.7 per cent) of total media consumption by 16-24s in Q2 2022, higher than all other adult age groups.
- Reaching Gen Z audiences is a challenge. The channels being consumed most by 16-24s – from music streaming to video games – are often those with the most underdeveloped advertising proposition.
- Audio channels play a key role in Gen Z media habits. Fuelled by music streaming and podcast listening, 16-24s globally consume more audio content per day than all forms of TV viewing combined.
- Brands can still reach Gen Z through established channels. The volume of offline media consumed by 16-24s has remained steady over the last decade.