Social Video, Streaming and the New Meaning of “Watching TV”

As the way we watch video continues to shift, the very definition of “television” is being quietly rewritten. 

For a growing number of people, “putting the TV on” no longer means turning to a satellite box or even opening a streaming app – it can just as easily mean scrolling through TikTok, YouTube Shorts or Instagram Reels.

According to new data from Deloitte, almost half of consumers now say that viewing social media videos and streaming services counts as “watching TV.” In fact, 41% of people surveyed see both social media video and streaming as part of the same TV experience, signalling just how blurred the lines between platforms have become.

TV Moves Beyond the Living Room Screen

For decades, television was synonymous with cable and broadcast channels. Then came streaming, which pulled viewers away from linear schedules and into on-demand boxes, sticks and apps. Now, that idea of “what TV is” has crept even further, spilling into the short-form content that lives on social feeds.

Deloitte’s “Digital Media Trends, fall 2025 edition” report highlights this shift. The findings are based on an online survey of 3,584 consumers carried out in the second quarter of 2025 by an independent firm, with results weighted against census data to reflect the wider population.

The takeaway is clear: consumers no longer see a hard boundary between “TV” and “digital.” Whether it’s a two-hour drama on a streaming platform or a 60-second creator-led clip on a phone, both are now sitting under the same mental umbrella of “watching TV.”

Social Video Time Rivals Traditional TV

Perhaps the starkest indicator of this change is how people are spending their time. Social video is now standing shoulder to shoulder with more traditional TV-style content.

Over a third of consumers – 35% – say they spend more time watching video on social media than on streaming services. That tilt becomes even more pronounced as you move down the age brackets. Among millennials, the figure climbs to 44%. For Gen Z, it jumps again to 58%.

For marketers and media owners, that’s a huge signal. The audiences they’ve long chased through TV and streaming are not just also on social – they’re often spending more time there. 

As one principal and telecom, media and entertainment leader at Deloitte Consulting put it, campaigns are no longer just linear, just digital or a combination of the two. It’s got to include social.

Creators as the New Power Brokers

As attention shifts, so does influence. One of the most striking dynamics in this evolving landscape is the rise of creator-driven content as a central entertainment force.

Partnering with creators is increasingly seen as a key route for traditional media to recapture time and attention. Embracing these voices isn’t a superficial trend or a bolt-on tactic – it is, in Deloitte’s words, a huge strategic imperative.

Younger audiences in particular are spending more time with creator-led content, and that shift is changing how people discover, engage with and value entertainment. Where TV once relied on lead actors and showrunners, today’s “must-watch” moments might be anchored around a creator with a vertical video series and a loyal following.

The Rise of Micro-Series and Vertical Storytelling

It’s not only where people watch that’s changing, but how they watch. Viewing sessions are becoming shorter, more frequent and tightly integrated into the rhythms of social media.

Micro-series – or micro-dramas – are one of the clearest examples. These are short, serialised videos, typically around a minute long, filmed in vertical format to match the orientation of most social apps. 

They’re designed to be consumed in bursts: one episode on the bus, another in a lunch break, another just before bed.

Deloitte’s data shows that nearly half of respondents, 45%, are familiar with this type of content. Among millennials and Gen Z, 45% say they are watching more micro-series now than they did a year ago.

Crucially, there’s an appetite to see this style of content move into more “traditional” environments. Forty-nine percent of millennials and 44% of Gen Z say they want to see micro-content on subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) platforms.

The vertical format itself is gaining favour too. Forty-three percent of millennials and 42% of Gen Z survey respondents say they prefer the vertical video format used in micro-series – a sign that the old rulebook, built around horizontal screens, is being quietly rewritten.

AVOD Adoption and the Generational Gap

While social and short-form content surge forward, another part of the video ecosystem is evolving in parallel: advertising-based video on demand (AVOD).

Among SVOD subscribers, 66% now have at least one AVOD service, up from 54% in spring 2025. This suggests consumers are increasingly open to lower-cost, ad-supported options, especially as subscription fatigue and economic pressures mount.

Interestingly, AVOD penetration is currently strongest among older demographics. Seventy percent of millennials, 74% of Gen X and 71% of boomers with SVOD subscriptions also have at least one AVOD service. By contrast, only 42% of Gen Z report having an AVOD subscription.

That raises a key strategic question: as younger audiences mature, will they migrate towards more “premium” TV experiences like AVOD and SVOD, or will they continue to treat social video as their primary screen?

The End of the Old TV Advertising Model

One thing is becoming increasingly clear: the traditional TV-based advertising model – built around a single dominant screen and a handful of big broadcasters – is no longer viable on its own.

Consumers are fragmenting their viewing across AVOD, SVOD, linear television and social media video. For brands, that doesn’t simply mean “adding more channels”; it means redefining what counts as “TV” altogether and treating all these environments as one cohesive package.

Deloitte’s report suggests that success will come from not overcommitting to any one platform and instead designing campaigns that can flex across multiple screens. #

When planning media, marketers are urged to move away from siloed television or digital plans and to treat social video and short-form content as a core screen, fully integrated with their streaming and broadcast buys.

In practice, that could mean a single idea that plays out as a 30-second spot on AVOD, a longer cut on SVOD, a series of micro-episodes on social, and creator partnerships that link everything together.

Conclusion: Redefining “TV” for the Next Wave of Viewers

The video landscape is not just changing – it is constantly reshaping itself around new habits, formats and expectations. Nearly half of consumers now see streaming and social as part of the same “TV” experience. 

Time spent on social video is rivaling, and in some groups surpassing, traditional streaming. Micro-series and vertical storytelling are becoming mainstream. AVOD is gaining ground, especially among older viewers, while younger audiences lean into social-first viewing.

For marketers and media owners, the message is simple but demanding: the old boundaries have gone. To stay relevant, brands must stop treating “television” as a single channel and start thinking in terms of a unified video ecosystem where social, streaming and broadcast sit side by side.

Those who can weave cohesive stories across all of these platforms – respecting the unique strengths of each while treating them as part of one bigger screen – will be the ones best placed to capture attention in this new era of what it means to “watch TV.”