• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, March 9, 2012

According to Nielsen and NM Incite’s U.S. Digital Consumer Report, “Generation C,” is taking their personal connection with each other and content to new levels, new devices, and new experiences like no other age group. Born between the launch of the VCR and the commercialization of the Internet, Americans 18-34 are redefining media consumption with their unique embrace of all things digital.

Americans 18-34 make up 23% of the U.S. population, says the report, yet they represent an outsized portion of consumers:

• Watching online video (27%)
• Visiting social networking/blog sites (27%)
• Owning tablets (33%)
• Using a smartphone (39%)

Their ownership and use of connected devices makes this group them incredibly unique consumers, representing both a challenge and opportunity for marketers and content providers alike. Generation C is engaging in new ways and there are more touch points for marketers to reach them.

More information from the Nielsen U.S. Digital Consumer Report shows that  Since 2000, the number of Americans with Internet access has more than doubled from 132.2 million to 274 million, and online content is increasingly part of Americans’ entertainment fare. At the end of 2011, about one-third of consumers streamed long-form content such as a movie or TV show from the Internet through a paid subscription service like Netflix or Hulu-Plus.

With 12 million unique video consumers streaming from Hulu and 6.2 million from Netflix in October 2011, who’s watching Netflix and Hulu on home computers, asks the report:

• Though 31% of Hulu’s audience falls into the 18-34 age range, more than a third of users are over the age of 50. Netflix skews slightly younger, with 40% of users in the 18-34 age range and 17% over 50
• Women make up the majority of users for both Netflix and Hulu, 57% and 59% respectively, and they account for 64% of total time spent watching video content on Netflix and Hulu. This is particularly noteworthy, says the report, as women stream less online video overall than men
• Both services have an audience that is more than three-quarters white, with relatively even audience percentages for African-Americans and Asians. Hispanics are more likely to watch video on Netflix than Hulu, making up 16% of Netflix’s audience compared to 11% for Hulu

Please register for the State of the Media: U.S. Digital Consumer Report, Q3-Q4 2011 here, or to read the Nielsen blog, please go here.