Over half of Irish young people now watch the majority of their TV online. 

That’s the finding of new survey carried out by youth charity SpunOut.ie.

The survey shows 53% of young people aged between 16 and 25 consume the majority of their TV through online sources compared to 47% who watch TV either live or through a playback service on a TV set. 

This compares to 43% of 26-34 year olds, 13.5% of 35-49 year olds and 5% of over 50s.

Illegal sources account for 35% of TV consumption by under 25s with one in four streaming TV content through websites such as PutLocker and 10% downloading TV shows through torrent sites like Pirate Bay.

Just 1 in 5 young people consumed TV through legal online sources with 5% streaming live through an official player, 9% streaming playback and 6% paying to use an official streaming service such as Netflix.

No young people surveyed said paid downloads were their preferred method for watching TV.

Despite this shift, traditional consumption methods hold up well with 32% of young people still consuming the majority of their TV live as it airs on a TV set, with 15% saying their main way of watching TV is to catch up on a DVR or playback service like Sky+ on their TV.

Of those who watch the majority of their TV online, nearly half (49%) have a home broadband speed of 30 MB per second or greater.

Of the 411 young people surveyed in the 16-25 year old demographic, they had consumed TV through the following platforms in the last 7 days*: 

Live on a TV set - 69%

Playback on a TV set -32%

Live on an online Player -16%

Playback on an online Player - 38%

Legal streaming (Netflix or other) - 14%

Legal download (iTunes or other) - 4%

Illegal streaming (PutLocker or other) - 39%

Illegal downloads (Pirate Bay or other) - 18%

Tablet - 9%

Smartphone - 15%

 

*The survey was conducted online between Wednesday March 13th and Friday March 15th with a total sample of 851 people aged over 16 years old.

“The survey is an interesting insight into the TV habits of a younger, digitally native generation and will make for interesting reading for broadcasters and advertisers alike” says Ian Power of SpunOut.ie

“Online players have been quick to improve and monetise their service but it should be of concern that illegal methods still outstrip legal downloads and streaming amongst younger people. This may have something to do with the availability of TV series on official players after they expire and delays in broadcasting the latest episodes of U.S. imports,” added Ian. 

SpunOut.ie conducted the survey to coincide with a 30 minute live webcast made by 124 young people to celebrate the launch of their new website.

The webcast will focus on a number of social issues affecting young people including cyberbullying, mental health, sexual health and alcohol consumption.

The #SpunOutLIVE webcast will air at 8pm tonight (Wednesday) on SpunOut.ie and will be hosted by RTE’s Stephen Byrne and feature a performance by teen music sensation SOAK who has just signed a record deal with Universal.