The Old Man and the TV

People aged 50 and up accounted for 39% of all US streaming watch time in May, per new Nielsen data shared exclusively with the WSJ, a 10%+ increase from the previous year. And what’s more, 50–64 year-old Americans spent more time Netflix and chilling over that month than those aged 35 to 49… for the first time ever.

📈 Driving the trend: Increased exposure and cancel culture (not the one you think). Many baby boomers and Gen X’ers are cutting the cord and parting ways with their cable services, all while gaining more access to streaming services via new smart TVs and set-top boxes, the WSJ reports.

• Overall, US streaming usage increased by 21% over the 12-month period ending in May, but that growth came disproportionately from older audiences. The share of viewing by every age group below 50 actually decreased during that time.

📺🤝 In other streaming news: Netflix announced yesterday it’ll partner with Microsoft for its upcoming ad-supported streaming tier, which is rumored to be made available by the end of this year.