Millennials Experience High Levels Of Ad Blocking, Piracy
- by Wayne Friedman , September 20, 2016
When it comes to digital video, Millennials are high users of ad-blocking software, some “piracy” streaming and shared logins.
Two out of three Millennials use an ad blocker on
a desktop or mobile device, according to study from Anatomy Media, an advertising agency specializing in entertainment marketing and promotion. Anatomy Media says this equates to two-thirds of
Millennial ad revenue that is not being captured.
When looking at particular kinds of advertising, Millennials register a 36% number when it comes to blocking pre-roll ads on short-form videos; 28% for long-form content such as a TV series.
The research was conducted from 2,700 Millennials (18-24 years old) between June 29 and July 5 of this year.
Nearly 70% of Millennials use at least one method of piracy -- downloading, streaming or on mobile, with 24% believing “that both downloading and streaming piracy are legal.”
In addition, 61% of Millennials who stream content used a shared password or cable log-in. Although some of this usage comes from living in their parents' homes, the activity continues when they move away.
The research cites Horowitz Research in a finding that 54% of TV viewing time of Millennials 18-34 is spent streaming, with 25% viewed live.
According to a very recent survey of 18-24 year olds from YouGov, the findings show that 56% DON'T have any type of ad-blocker installed on any device. Perhaps they aren't as "millennial" as we assume!
Lee, if 44% of millennials have an ad blocker compared to the overall norm of 25-30% that does signify a much higher than normal use of blockers by the 18-34s. So it is fair to say," It's a millennial thing".
The message from Millennials is that we have the ability to access content when & where we want, with less intrusive levels/forms of advertising, and at a reasonable price. Millennials disproportionately subscribe to commercial solutions that provide exactly this (Netflix, Spotify).
It's incumbent on the media & entertainment industry to adapt to changes in consumer behavior and technology by evolving its products and business models. One way M&E companies can look at ad-blocking and "piracy" is that it's consumers pointing in the direction of the service features and content they will pay for if you provide it.