Study: Creator content reducing TV and movie consumption
January 28, 2026
YouTube has topped Nielsen’s US TV viewing charts since 2024, as creators secure high-profile studio deals that rival – and often surpass – those of traditional producers. Streamers are signingg major video podcast deals, and the buzz on 3-minute microdramas may finally deliver where Quibi fell short.
Hub Entertainment Research’s Video Redefined study confirms that, beyond traditional TV and movies, the definition of what comprises “watching TV” is broader than ever.
Fielded in December 2025, key findings include:
Since 2022, weekly TV and movie viewing is down by two hours, while social/creator viewing has held steady.
· Weekly TV & movie viewing has declined from 21 to 19 hours per week, while viewing of social/creator video viewing has remained steady at about 11 hours per week.
Viewing of social/creator video is growing stronger among older viewers over 35.
· Older viewers 35+ are continuing to increase how much they watch social/creator videos, an opportunity to deliver even more to satisfy that growing audience.
Watching short YouTube videos on the big TV is just as much fun as watching longer TV shows & movies, especially for younger Gen Z viewers 13-34.
· Well over half of Gen Z viewers embrace YouTube viewing on the TV, compared to less than 4 in 10 viewers age 35+.
But guilt is often a by-product of social video viewing: more than half of young viewers think they spend too much time watching social.
· Marketers can both lean into supporting the perceived ‘vice’ of social video or use it as opportunity to remind viewers of the redeeming qualities that longer-form content provides.
Microdramas may have broken the curse of Quibi.
· More than one in five (22 per cent) viewers say they have watched these mini (1-3 minute) dramatic stories that play out over multiple episodes.
· They particularly like how easy they are to watch and the dramatic and suspenseful stories they deliver.
Still, social platforms remain central to how viewers discover longer-form TV and movies, especially for younger viewers.
· Well over half (65 per cent) of viewers age 13-34 say they discover new TV shows and movies from clips they see on places like TikTok and Instagram.
“Viewers embrace how easy and fun it is to watch social and creator videos at YouTube, Tik Tok and Instagram,” commented Jason Platt Zolov, study author and Senior Consultant at Hub. “As this content continues to migrate from mobile phones to living room TV sets, there’s great opportunity to develop even more compelling creator programming – as well as unique ways to promote traditional TV and movies via those social platforms.”
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