This trend is especially true for users aged 25 to 34 and those in households with young children, who are far more likely to “trust the algorithm” than other groups. For Gen Z, social media buzz is a huge influence, depending on the country.
According to the report, 26% of global internet users now rely on streamers’ algorithm picks to decide what TV and film to watch. In comparison, 23% rely on word-of-mouth recommendations from friends and family.
Younger viewers significantly over-index for willingness to trust streaming algorithm recommendations, with 30% of viewers aged 25 to 34 and 31% of subscribers in households with young children rely on the platforms’ personalized recommendations.
Gen Z are highly motivated to watch TV and film content they’ve seen on social media. About 31% of global 18 to 24-year-olds watch long-form content they’ve learned about on social media. This outscores preferred actors/celebrities (30%) and streaming service recommendations (27%).
American consumers, the report found, are further embracing algorithms due to a heavier adoption of streaming video. About 27% of U.S. internet users use algorithm recommendations, compared to 24% of the Western European market.
Among Western markets, U.K. consumers rank No. 1, with 30% choosing streaming recommendations. France, Japan and Italy are among the markets least likely to opt for algorithm recommendations at 19% each. Positive reviews are an important influence in Italy (23%), while France still prefers word-of-mouth (25%).
Affinity for algorithm picks also tends to be high among internet users in emerging markets. Internet users in China (30%) and India (30%) rank alongside the U.K. (30%) as some of the highest.
“Considering the huge volume of data used to make recommendations for streaming platforms like Netflix or Prime Video, it makes sense that more people are choosing to watch these personalized picks,”
Sam Nursall, senior analyst at Ampere, said in a statement.
Nursall agrees that viewers still take recommendations from friends and family, but overall they have become increasingly willing to rely on the algorithms to select their next watch. At the same time, Gen Z audiences covet TV and film recommendations from social media, which is also algorithmic in nature.
“The fact that social media features so highly as a source of recommendations for younger consumers shows the significance of social platforms as part of the streaming marketing mix,” he said.
Source: mediaplaynews.com