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A multipronged move toward CTV video (1:46), social video (0:46), and YouTube (0:34) accounts for most of digital video鈥檚 new dominance, with subcategories like sub OTT (1:32) and TikTok (0:17) buttressing CTV video and social video. Text, image, and audio-based digital media will continue to lose share annually, although slowly. More than half of US daily time with digital video happens via CTV.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss when we might be approaching the consequential ceiling of 鈥減eak media鈥�, which folks watch the most influencer videos, where smartphone time is still climbing, and entirely too much more. Tune in to the discussion with our Principal Analyst and host Bill Fisher, Principal Analyst Paul Briggs, Vice President of Research Jennifer Pearson, and Chief Research Officer at GWI Jason Mander.

Viewers spent 36% of their time with video on streaming last month, and YouTube accounted for 8.6% of total time spent with video (Netflix came in second at 7.9%). YouTube published a blog celebrating its yearlong reign as the number one streaming service, revealing additional information about its video business. Global viewers now watch more than 1 billion hours of YouTube on their TVs daily.

Total media time is flattening out in the UK after the artificial bump brought about by the pandemic. Video consumption, though, via multiple platforms, is one area where marketers can count on continued consumer engagement.

The number of social network users in the US will tick up 1.7% YoY this year, while adult users will see almost 2% growth. But time spent on social networks among adult users will peak this year, meaning the battle for engagement is on.

To view the time spent with digital media forecast, click here, and to view the time spent with traditional media forecast, click here. Total video time is slipping, as TV losses outpace digital gains. Video is pivoting rapidly to digital in France, but because of traditional TV鈥檚 rapid drop-off in time spent, digital video gains aren鈥檛 being felt.

Why it matters: Short-form video platforms have become significant drivers of music discovery across demographic groups and regions. According to 2023 Nielsen data, Black US consumers primarily discover new music through video platforms like YouTube (55%) and social media channels (53.5%).

In our newest forecast for time spent, mobile devices still attract more than half of all digital time, but CTV is catching up.

Social video is chipping away at linear TV time spent. Social network usage is now video-first. Roughly 60% of US adults鈥� daily social time will be spent on video in 2024. Some of that time has come from other social activities. But social video is also taking away from time spent with linear TV. Linear TV has lost roughly an hour of daily time since 2017.

A plateau in time spent with social video will contribute to the slowdown. Our most recent time spent forecast estimates that the share of time users will spend with social video, as a percentage of time spent with digital video, will climb just 0.6% in 2024, to 12.9%. In 2025, it will inch up to 13.3%. Producing short-form video creative at scale remains a challenge.

Mobile media consumption exceeded time spent with PC/laptop/tablet for the first time this year. Near-ubiquitous use of social media, messaging apps, and video on smartphones has tipped the scale in favor of mobile. The US remains at the top of the list of countries polled for broadcast TV viewership.

While ad loads have remained relatively consistent despite some notable exceptions鈥攍ike Prime Video increasing its ad load this year鈥攊nventory is still set to climb due to an increase in time spent watching streaming video. Similarly, more US consumers are cutting the cord and switching to streaming services and connected TVs as their primary video channels.

With or without TikTok, social media will remain focused on video. In 2025, we expect US social users to spend 61.1% of their time spent on social networks watching videos, up from 33.3% in 2019鈥攂efore TikTok became popular. We also expect US social video ad spending to surpass linear TV ad spending for the first time next year (both estimates exclude YouTube). Predictions.

Free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) services like The Roku Channel, Tubi, and Pluto TV will bring in tens of millions of viewers this year, though time spent with the platforms isn鈥檛 comparable to that of Netflix or YouTube, according to our forecast. Still, marketers should keep an eye on these streaming services, especially those with parent companies like Paramount or Fox that may be able to spin free viewers into paid members.

The potential of AI-driven visual interactions: Cameras on smartphones and wearable devices can make AI more context- and location-aware and can drive interactions, user engagement, and subscriptions. Apple is reportedly considering adding cameras and visual intelligence features to its wearables, per Bloomberg. But given Apple鈥檚 recent AI shortcomings, these features could be at least a year away.

Gen Z spends the most time on social media. Gen Zers ages 18 to 24 spend more time on Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat than any other age group, according to our forecast. These platforms become community spaces where they interact beyond simple messaging: They share memes and new interests, video chat, and collaborate on content.

Connected TV (CTV) will be the fastest-growing major ad format in 2023, despite a downward revision in our latest forecast. Time spent on CTV is also showing big gains.

The news: 13 states and the District of Columbia filed lawsuits against TikTok on Tuesday, alleging that the video platform鈥檚 design intentionally hooks children and harms their safety and mental health. The states are seeking changes to specific product features and fines on TikTok.

Meta enhances ad tools with AI: New video and image features improve ad performance, boosting engagement and advertiser ROI.

Every platform is preparing for a TikTok ban. Every social app is now a short-video platform. Some are also combining short, long, and live video into one TikTok-like feed.

Average daily time spent on mobile devices in Canada is 33 minutes lower than in the US, for instance. Western Europe doesn鈥檛 fit predictable patterns of media consumption. It鈥檚 a relative laggard in TV viewing and video and audio streaming, but it鈥檚 a hotbed for newer digital technologies like smartwatches and smart home products.

Time spent on media and consumer spending are plateauing, making one company's gain another's loss. Diving into these market dynamics, we explore innovative strategies for advertisers and retailers to win consumers in the new digital era.