The wave of the future

Millennials (young adults ages 16-27) not only seek more rich media but also greatly influence buying decisions at home, particularly for mobile technologies and services, according to the initial results of a Motorola study, MarketingCharts reports (via MediaPost).

The study, commissioned by Motorola's Home & Networks Mobility group, explores how the preferences and habits of Millennials are shaping the future of content consumption.

Greater Expectations

Motorola's findings pinpointed the differences in Millennials' expectations and the influence that they already exert over buying decisions of their parents for video and broadband products and services:

• 71% have influence over parental decisions about cable, DSL or dish-satellite services, including young people who no longer live with their parents.
• 62% have influence over which HDTV set and programming package to buy.
• 70% feel their expectations and demands are far greater than their parents' for rich media experiences (such as mobile TV or video) and on-the-go broadband access.

High-Definition on My Own Time

Millennials are hungry for more control over when and where they access rich content. The ability to time-shift with DVRs and have access to HD programming were both highly desirable features:

• While 85% of Millennials have cable television or satellite television service, 42% of respondents still would like a DVR to use along with it.
• 64% of Millennials with a DVR rely on DVR'd content for "quite a bit" to "almost all" of the programs they watch, with almost half of DVR owners using it for half of their TV watching.
• 46% of Millennials already have HDTV, while 43% indicate they would like to have it.
• 73% of Millennials with HDTV access "love" current HD programming, while 35% of those with HDTV are looking forward to having a broader selection of HD programming offered in the future.

"With the Millennial generation, connectivity is an absolute must-have, as they've grown up with technology and the internet," said Eduardo Conrado, corporate VP, global marketing and communications, Motorola Inc. "Millennials are now looking to make their connectivity more personalized and take experiences from 'primetime' to 'my time.'"

The Content I Want, Wherever I Want it

Millennials further expressed their "on demand" mind-set, indicating they prefer to watch programming or access content on their own terms and timeline, regardless of where that content originated:

• 84% expressed interest in archived TV programs and movies available on demand.
• 87% would find it appealing to watch programming in areas of their home where they don't have TV.
• 86% have interest in being able to pause a TV program in one room and resume play in another room in the house.
• 83% have interest in the ability to download TV programs from a DVR to a memory device for use on mobile players.

About the study: Findings of Motorola's Millennial Generation Study are based on an online panel survey among 1,000 members of the Millennial generation in the United States, age 16-27, April 18-23, 2008. The sample included 500 men and 500 women. Millennials account for 17% of the total US population.

Image credit: manganite.