It’s no secret that our generation is content crazy. If you’ve ever found yourself indulging in that guilty habit of streaming something from YouTube while watching your favorite Law & Order reruns, you’re not alone. A report in AdWeek estimates that 87 percent of consumers use two screens at once. Of course, the most frequent offenders were millennials.
But what is it that millennials are actually watching while they’re swiping away on Tinder and Facebook-stalking high school frenemies?
TruthCo, a cultural research and branding company, spoke to Business Insider on what type of TV shows millennials just can’t get enough of. According to the research, millennials are highly focused on content that’s entertaining but also changes the world. The most popular TV shows all opened up conversations on social values and change.
The company found six major categories of TV that attract millennial audiences — scripted dramas that discuss social issues, scripted comedies with an underlying social message, unscripted series with a social angle, news driven programs with social commentary, documentaries looking to create social change and standard millennial content that preaches social values. Here are the top TV shows from each category.
1. Scripted Dramas That Discuss Social Issues
The most popular television shows for millennials that fell under this category were American Crime, Empire, How To Get Away With Murder, Scandal, People Vs. O.J. Simpson, You’re The Worst and Jessica Jones, which is exclusively available via Netflix.
2. Scripted Comedies With An Underlying Social Message
The most popular television shows for millennials that fell under this category were Black-ish, The Carmichael Show, Inside Amy Schumer, You’re The Worst, Louie and Transparent. It should be noted that Transparent is not actually on television but rather available via streaming on Amazon Prime. Millennials are technologically savvy that way.
3. Unscripted Series With A Social Angle
Millennials favored I Am Cait, Becoming Us, Born This Way, and I Am Jazz.
4. News Driven Programs With Social Commentary
The most popular shows in this category were Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, Full Frontal With Samantha Bee, and Vice. The entire Vice Network ranked among one of the most popular networks for millennials in general.
5. Documentaries Looking To Create Social Change
Millennials love a meaningful doc. Their favorites were 30 for 30, Going Clear, The Jinx, Making A Murder (available via Netflix instant streaming), and Vice. Again, the entire Vice network ranked at the top of this category.
6. Standard Millennial Content That Preaches Social Values
These shows were created specifically about millennials for millennials and when it comes to this kind of content The CW reigned supreme. The most popular shows in this category were The Fosters, Switched At Birth and Degrassi: Next Class, which is available on Netflix streaming.
Do you agree with these findings?
