Gen Z favours watching YouTube over TV and other streaming platforms, with 33% of respondents admitting they had gone on to purchase something having it featured or reviewed on YouTube, according to new research.
With the majority of people spending a large proportion of their time at home in the coming weeks, a study from car buying comparison site carwow looks at the YouTube habits and how the different generations consume their entertainment.
A snap poll of more than 500 individuals found the majority of both the 18-24 and 35-44 age range cited YouTube as their most consumed method of entertainment, (77% and 60% respectively). Despite the phrase being ‘Netflix and chill’, Netflix came second to YouTube amongst those aged 25-34 (58%).
Overall, 48% of Britons consider YouTube as their first port of call when searching for entertainment, followed by Netflix (21%) and Satellite TV/Freeview (20%).
‘Being in control’ (59%), ‘being more accessible than TV’ (40%) and ‘detailed reviews’ (36%) emerged as the top three appealing factors of YouTube amongst those polled. And 33% admitted they had gone on to purchase something having seen a review video on YouTube, with 17% encouraged to purchase the exact product/service and not shop around. Almost two thirds of those aged 35 said they came primarily for the reviews.
For petrolheads looking for car content, 87% say they are drawn by the makes or models of cars featured, half are incentivised by races/test drives, and 27% say one of the biggest lures is up-to-date reviews.
The carwow YouTube channel – which features car reviews, comparisons and drag races – has also grown 100% year-on-year and currently averages 56 million views a month, more than any other car channel globally. It beats off competition from TopGear, Auto Express, Auto Trader and WhatCar? as well as other long-established brands. On average, 500 years’ worth of content is now viewed on the carwow YouTube channel every month, accounting for almost 8,000 years of content since the first car review went live in April 2016.
Mat Watson, Editorial Director and the face of carwow’s YouTube channel, said: “Hitting more than one billion YouTube views is a huge achievement. We know that people’s time is precious, and it is humbling to know that our loyal base of amazing subscribers is consistently growing, and that they love the videos as much as we love making them.”
Vix Leyton, consumer expert for www.carwow.co.uk, commented on the survey findings: “The popularity of Youtube is unsurprising when you think of the breadth of interests it can cover, and its unique capability to offer up to date, detailed insights on any topic you can think of through whatever filter you want. This is particularly relevant with reviews, where not only can you find the item you want, but also a reviewer that you think aligns to who you are, and Mat’s no-nonsense, honest and thorough approach has clearly resonated with viewers.
Alongside the volume of content, you also have to factor in convenience. YouTube can be accessed anywhere, allowing it to be at your fingertips for even the most fast-paced or hectic of lifestyles.”
Source: www.carwow.co.uk