• More Gen Zers use user-generated video platforms than they do streaming services. YouTube and TikTok have higher penetration rates among Gen Zers than the streaming services we track (Netflix and Disney+), likely because the former are free, offer niche personalization, and are heavily populated by their peers. Social media videos and livestreams are the preferred forms of digital video for nearly half (47%) of US Gen Zers, according to Deloitte’s 2024 “Digital Media Trends” report.

• Gen Zers’ Netflix use is catching up to TikTok use. This year, 67.9% of US Gen Zers will use Netflix, and 71.2% will use TikTok, according to our forecast. The streaming service is expected to bypass the video-centric social media giant by 2026. Nonetheless, Netflix use is influenced by social media: 45% of Gen Zers choose what to watch based on trending content, according to Tubi.
• The cyclical effect between social media and streaming is speeding up. Around 59% of Gen Zers in the US watch a show or a movie on streaming video services after hearing an online creator talk about it, according to Deloitte. Plus, the media itself gets downloaded and edited to create fancams, reaction clips, and jokes.
• What does this mean? While we expect the number of Gen Z digital video viewers to stabilize, their media consumption is more intertwined with their social media use than is their predecessors’. User-generated videos are a source of entertainment and discovery, so marketers need to anticipate how to capitalize on this by providing material for Gen Z creators to work with (like distinctive audio clips) or ensuring that the viewing ratio of produced media properly translates to a phone screen.

Read the full report, Gen Z Technology and Media Preferences 2024.