68% of 15-24 year olds watch short-form videos daily

Ofcom’s sixth annual Media Nations report reviews key trends in the media sector and sets out how UK audiences are accessing content across on and offline platforms. Key findings from this year’s report relating to digital media include: 

• Over a third (38%) of all online adults are watching short-form video content daily  (videos that are under 10 minutes) but they are most popular among younger audiences, with 68% of 15-24 year-olds watching them daily, compared to 14% of those aged 65+
• Among adults who watch short-form content at least once a month, the most popular genre is ‘how-to’ videos (64%), followed by news (63%) and videos uploaded by the general public (59%)
• Almost half of all adults use music streaming services each week, with reach among younger adults continuing to be higher than among older age groups
• One in five people listen to podcasts weekly (one in four in London and the South East), with growth in listenership being driven by those aged 25-44 years
• Being able to listen when they want was cited by 89% of podcast listeners as a benefit, while 79% said that podcasts offer them something they can’t get via the radio
• Four in 10 households have at least one smart speaker - a three-percentage-point increase year on year, with 45% of these having two or more
• 60% of smart speaker owners report using their smart speaker for music streaming and listening to the radio (58%), with the next most popular activity being searching for information online or asking general questions (37%)
• Time spent with broadcaster video-on-demand services continues to grow, although a change in methodology means direct year-on-year comparisons are not possible
• The growth of subscription video-on-demand household penetration has slowed, with the report pointing to the rising cost of living and subscription price rises 

You can download the full Media Nations report here.