When kids want to watch SpongeBob SquarePants, Peppa Pig and Paw Patrol, they’re going to YouTube, not cable or media-company streaming services, according to a new study from Precise TV and Giraffe Insights.
The new volume of the Precise Advertiser Report: Kids found a 30% increase in kids using YouTube, while paid streaming services usage was down 53% and free VOD services were down 40%.
Content from Paramount’s Nickelodeon, which used to dominate kids’ viewing on cable, is now being consumed more on YouTube than on streaming services Netflix or Hulu.
When they’re streaming on their phones and tablets, kids are seeking out the Nickelodeon channel on YouTube.
Among the most popular channels were SpongeBob SquarePants, watched by 48% of kids, with the Nickelodeon and Paw Patrol channels watched by 40% of kids.
Next on the list were Bluey, Peppa Pig, Nick Jr., Cocomelon, Disney Music, MrBeast and PJ Masks.
Paramount’s Paramount Plus ranks high among streaming services with 29% of parents and families saying they’ve watched it recently. That ranks it behind only Netflix, Disney Plus, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video and YouTube Kids.
“Traditional media networks and their time-honored franchises are winning attention in the non-TV arena, and winning Gen Alpha’s attention at record rates,” Christian Dankl, co-founder and chairman of Precise TV, said. “Children and their parents are increasingly turning to social video to watch content traditionally accessed via streaming services. We’re noticing certain media networks rise above the pack with effective social-mobile strategies that are stoking attention in their kid-friendly content.”
For advertisers, YouTube has established itself as the place to go to reach kids. The report said the platform delivers high advertising recall rates and has a great deal of influence over family purchase decisions.
- YouTube delivers 2.3 times greater ad recall compared to broadcast TV and 2.6 times greater than video-on-demand.
- Nearly a third of kids think the best commercials air against their favorite YouTube content
- More than 20% of parents are inspired by YouTube to buy things for their children.
- 60% parents agree that they are more likely to purchase a product they saw advertised when co-viewing with their child.
Video also faces a challenge from gaming in reaching kids, according to Precise TV.
Gaming is the third most-popular media consumption platform for kids, behind only YouTube and VOD apps. Nearly 60% kids play mobile or tablet games, with 45% playing video games.
Puzzle, adventure and building games are the most popular mobile games, the report said..
In-game ads are proving to be effective with kids. More than a fifth of kids remember seeing ads when they are mobile gaming, with toy and game ads being the most recalled ad categories.
