The Gist: Since 2015, YouTube daily video content viewership has grown the fastest among 55-64-year-olds. Daily YouTube visitors in this age group have grown nearly 2X during the same period. This age group comprised only 11% of daily viewers in 2015, but as of 2017, this age group comprises 19% of YouTube daily viewers. That’s a jump, especially when comparing this to Millennial (18-34) daily viewers on the same platform, which have grown only slightly in two years from 44% to 49%.
When it comes to YouTube video content (or even sending texts), Baby Boomers may not be the first group to come to mind, but our data show they should be front and center. When looking at daily YouTube users, the age 55-64 age group has rapidly increased more than any other age bracket since 2015.
Whether or not it’s a surprise that the boomer age group is keen on YouTube, we took a dive into these viewers’ habits and preferences, which marketers may want to keep in mind.
The numbers
YouTube daily viewership has grown the fastest among 55-64-year-olds. Daily YouTube visitors in this age group have grown nearly 2X since 2015 (See dark blue line).
That’s a jump, especially when comparing this to Millennial (18-34) daily viewers on the same platform; this group has grown only slightly in two years from 44% to 49%.
To profile this group, we can clearly see daily YouTube viewers in the 55-64 age group are more likely to be men:
Marketers: take note of the men on social media platforms, as they seem to be a growing group among Pinterest users as well. In addition, this group (the 55-64 YouTube daily user) is influenced by social media when it comes to the products they buy.
A Potential for Platform Persuadability
Does daily video content potential stop at YouTube?
When comparing Baby Boomers who watch YouTube video content daily with Netflix favorability, the data below show that there’s a persuadable consumer– indeed 46% — who say they don’t have a strong opinion about Netflix. If these folks like visiting sites to stream video content, there might be a big potential for Netflix to gain new subscribers.
News Programming is a Priority
What kinds of content is this age group watching?
Well, they spend a good bit of time watching news shows; anywhere from 1 to 10 hours/week in some cases. Nearly half watch at least 1-5 hours/week of news:
Tuning in Live for TV
Is there a bigger priority for YouTube to add live streaming program partnerships, with the above data in mind?
Local food is lucrative
32% of this segment lean towards local/ independent restaurants, followed by fast food (24%).
This could be something to note for those who choose to advertise via YouTube video content, especially fast food chains, but this group could be persuaded to try a fast casual restaurant if the deal is sweet enough.
Ad blockers aren’t just for the young
And lastly, 63% of this group say they use some sort of ad blocker. Should marketers be alarmed? They should at least take note when it comes to this somewhat surprising fact about this older age group.
To Wrap it Up
YouTube, and those who advertise via video content on the platform, should be aware of the growth of 55-64 year-olds’ daily activity. We will track this group to see where they go from here.
