David Farnor | On 23, Oct 2016

Young people in the US now watch YouTube more than cable TV, according to a new study of teenagers online.

The rise of online streaming among younger viewers is far from a surprise, but this is the first time that investment bank Piper Jaffray’s Taking Stock with Teens survey has found that the percentage of young people watching YouTube every day has eclipsed those who watch cable TV daily. It’s a milestone with some merit: Piper Jaffray has been surveying 10,000 American teens twice a year for the last 16 years. This year, 26 per cent said they consume YouTube every day, overtaking cable TV (25 per cent) for the first time.

It is revealing, though, that neither are the top video destination for teenagers: that title goes to Netflix, which is used daily by 37 per cent of the teenage respondents. (Hulu and Amazon Prime Video both rank far lower.)

Snapchat and Instagram are the top two social media networks used, with Snapchat used by 37 per cent on a daily basis. (Twitter and Facebook are joint third.)

One of the reasons why YouTube has become such a popular destination for young audiences is that the site is home to user-generated content, which is more personalised and customisable than traditional TV. Almost 35 per cent of US broadband households watch user-generated video more than 10 days a month, according to Parks Associates. The firm’s research found that three-quarters of US households with broadband watch such content at least once a month.

“Today’s home entertainment is all about personalization. Consumers now expect video, music, and gaming experiences to adapt to their needs, including anywhere, anytime, and any device access,” says Brett Sappington, Senior Director of Research, Parks Associates. “Successful services are extending personalization into all aspects of the service experience and features. Competition for customers and revenues will become even more intense in the future. New personalization technologies are driving simplified authentication, increased consumption, greater viewer engagement, and enhanced revenue generation.”

Here are the results of Piper Jaffray’s study in a handy infographic:

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