Tracking Trends in the Media and Entertainment Industry
The media industry is constantly evolving due to changing consumer consumption patterns, consolidation and new business practices that become standard. Media leaders need the most up-to-date data on industry trends to best decide how to respond to them. But fresh, reliable figures are hard to come by.
To help media and entertainment leaders stay current on the need-to-know consumer behaviors and sentiment, Morning Consult is tracking the most important media consumption trends through a monthly survey of U.S. adults.
Find a more detailed methodology for this tracker below.
Key Takeaways
Consumers’ most trusted news sources are still traditional outlets, like broadcast and cable news networks, which are currently enjoying a rebound in perception of credibility. While only 16% of U.S. adults say social media is the most trustworthy news source, separate research finds that a majority of the population turn to social platforms for news on a regular basis.
More than 1 in 3 adults said they didn’t play video games last month. Despite high-profile gaming releases and live action adaptations over the last few months, the share of U.S. adults who reported not playing video games has remained stable. The good news for the industry is that the share of younger consumers who said the same is much lower (20% of Gen Z adults and 23% of millennials).
The podcast industry has made slow but steady gains with listenership. As of March, almost half of U.S. adults (47%) said they listened to podcasts at least once a month. Over the last year, publishers and content creators with podcasts have doubled down on pivoting to video, likely growing its audience of younger listeners who are discovering new voices and creators through the consumption of video clips on social media platforms.
Data Downloads
Pro+ subscribers are able to download the datasets that underpin Morning Consult Pro's reports and analysis. Contact us to get access.
Video Streaming Service Usage
Consumers Who Stream Music
Consumers Who Listen to Podcasts
Trust in News Sources
Average Time Spent Playing Video Games
Source of This Data
Methodology
The Morning Consult Media and Entertainment Monthly Trend Tracker relies on Morning Consult’s proprietary survey research capabilities. The interviews are conducted online, and the data is weighted to approximate a representative sample of U.S. adults based on gender, educational attainment, age, race and region. Results from the full survey have a monthly sample size of 2,200 U.S. adults and an unweighted margin of error of +/-2 percentage points.
About Morning Consult
Morning Consult is a global decision intelligence company changing how modern leaders make smarter, faster, better decisions. The company pairs its proprietary high-frequency data with applied artificial intelligence to better inform decisions on what people think and how they will act. Learn more at morningconsult.com.
The authors would like to thank Kevin Tran for his contributions to this research.
Email [email protected] to speak with a member of the Morning Consult team.
