All over our magic globe, the youth is changing everything. Millennials influence over $1 trillion in entertainment and CPG spending. We can rest assured that millennials have a huge say in the online entertainment market.
Millennials are digital natives. While there are many rumors out there that this generation is killing many age-old industries, you can rest assured that entertainment isn’t one of them. In fact, by embracing online entertainment, they are giving a new face to it.
The Era of Millenials and New Kind of Entertainment
In the past decade, the number of frequent young moviegoers has dropped considerably. In 2017, movie theater attendance in Canada and the US fell to it’s the lowest point in the past 25 years. It’s clear that millennials are seeking entertainment elsewhere.
Recent technological innovations have certainly played a role in shaping the millennial approach to entertainment. Some of today’s platforms, gadgets, and consoles were just concepts at best a couple of decades ago, but now they come as a given.
Many millennials can’t remember what the world was like before high-speed internet, instant messaging, social media, and memes. Having this in mind, the fact that millennials take part in fun activities from the comfort of their home shouldn’t really come as a surprise.
The Advent of Relatable and Readily-Available Content
Part of the reason why millennials are drifting away from traditional hubs of entertainment such as movie theaters and TV is the fact that they treasure readily available content above everything else.
Web-based platforms offer millennials what they want—instant content. But that’s not everything they offer. This isn’t the only reason platforms such as Twitch and YouTube attract millennials.
These two platforms in particular are well known for user-generated content. Millennials prefer forms of entertainment that are relatable to them, and so do the generations that come after them.
While older generations prefer to watch entertainers such as Jimmy Kimmel, a talk show host who can’t wrap his head around the concept of gameplay streaming, younger generations love watching others play their favorite video games online.
While boomers are wondering why millennials and Gen-Zer’s find streaming to be entertaining, the answer may be very simple—it is relatable.
YouTube and Twitch content creators have entered the mainstream thanks to their relatability and seeming “down-to-earthness.” YouTube users watch over 1 billion hours of content each day. Millennials Prefer Youtube to traditional TV 2 to 1.
Thanks to web-based platforms, some online stars have found their way to traditional media. For instance, Youtubers Joe Sugg and Casper Lee are topping charts with their straight-to DVD film.
Millennials and the World of Online Gaming
Millennials aren’t the ones who made video games popular. But, they have elevated them to a whole new level. According to Nielsen, 2 in 3 American Millennials play video games each month. What’s even more fascinating is how millennials have managed to turn online gaming into a proper sport.
Younger generations consider esports athletes to be proper athletes. They enter popular tournaments, win huge prizes, and sign lucrative sponsorships. While older generations may fail to see it, millennials recognize video games as skill-based sports games.
One can see this in every genre of gaming. For instance, younger generations are even revolutionizing games of chance.
They have a huge impact on the rise of the iGaming industry. Streamers that specialize in skilled-based games like progressive slots are becoming increasingly popular. The fast-paced nature of streaming platforms has even made chess streamers popular.
