34% of Young Streaming Viewers Able to Cite Brands From Ads on Hulu

As streaming platforms compete for attention and subscribers, attracting younger viewers — who are increasingly opting for entertainment on TikTok and other social channels over more traditional media — is a key challenge. Having up-to-date insights on the preferences and behaviors among this demographic can help platforms tailor successful messaging and offerings. 

A recent streaming study from MX8 Labs reveals some differences displayed by 18-24 year olds compared to overall viewers for the top subscription services (FASTs and YouTube are excluded in the below).

• While Prime Video ranked above average for overall experience across all age groups, it underperformed specifically for 18-24 year olds.
• Although awareness of available ad-free tiers is high across all demographics, it's slightly below average for 18-24 year olds specifically. Paramount+ stood out in particular, with only 71% of 18-24 year olds citing ad-free tier awareness, compared to 80% overall. 
• 56% of all surveyed viewers said they opted for an ad-supported tier on Hulu because of cost savings, vs. only 46% of 18-24 year olds. 
• 34% of young viewers were able to recall specific brands mentioned in ads on Hulu, notably higher than the overall 26%. 
• There are also variations when it comes to what types of content are preferred. For example, 66% of 18-24 year olds say movies are their preferred content on Discovery+, compared to only 41% of overall respondents. On Hulu, 50% of total respondents said they prefer network TV shows, vs. only 38% for 18-24 year olds.
• Original series on Hulu and Paramount+ also underperform for the young cohort: On Hulu, original series were favored by 51% of all respondents but only 42% of 18-24 year olds. The difference was even more pronounced on Paramount+, with only 26% of young viewers preferring originals vs. 41% overall.