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New Nielsen report: Kids push TV usage up with 90% coming from ‘non-traditional’ sources

Kids watching TV

School’s out for summer, time to turn on the TV. 

June often sees a seasonal bump in TV usage driven by kids fresh out of school but this year sees a change in how they’re watching. 

Nielsen’s recently-released report found that TV usage from kids aged 2-11 increased in June by 16.3% and by a whopping 24.1% for kids 12-17, ending a lull in viewing that began four months earlier.

Screenshot 2023-08-18 at 10.44.08

So where did this growth come from? 

Well, it’s not from traditional sources, such as linear viewing. In fact, according to Nielsen, non-traditional sources were responsible for 90% of this rise. 

With younger kids, aged 2-11, streaming makes up the vast majority, accounting for 62% of their usage. While for older kids, aged 12-17, streaming makes up 43%.

This all had a positive impact on Disney+ and YouTube, two of the main platforms for kids’ content. Disney+ usage jumped by 11.9% to now account for 2% of all TV, while YouTube’s dominant position in streaming was solidified as it edged closer to taking 9% of all TV usage, higher than any other streaming service. 

Nielsen’s report supports Precise TV’s own research into kids and teens’s media habits. The just-released Precise Advertiser Report Teens & Youth (PARTY) research shows that 82% of teens have recently watched YouTube, and nearly a third have watched Hulu and Amazon Prime. 

If you would like to learn more about teen media habits, please download our report here  or contact  us

Topics: advertising, CTV, Connected TV, report