“Digital resources can deepen [millennials’] involvement with a TV show, and it’s not surprising that VAB polling finds lots of millennials follow shows and characters on social media, tweet about shows and so on,” said eMarketer analyst Mark Dolliver. “And since involvement with favorite shows is not merely passive, it makes sense that millennials could be more inclined than adults in general to take action due to a show, like buying things they see within the show or in ads that accompany it.”
However influential “as seen on TV” can be to drive purchases, millennials don’t spend much time watching TV.
According to eMarketer’s numbers, US consumers between the ages of 18 and 24, and those 25 to 34, spend 93 and 128 minutes watching TV per day, respectively, whereas older consumers (ages 45 to 54) watch 240 minutes per day on average.
Indeed, 36% of US millennials, according to a June 2018 Magid survey, watch live cable or satellite TV, and about one-third stream content to a connected TV for more than 3 hours per day.