Galaxus study examines media use in Europe

For teenagers and young adults, the smartphone is often enough for the series marathon. Nevertheless, they also go to the movies more often than their parents. Europe's cinephiles live in Italy, while the movie buffs live in Germany and Austria. Switzerland brings up the rear when it comes to streaming at home. These are the findings of a representative survey conducted by Galaxus in the DACH region, Italy and France.

(Iconic image: Unsplash.com)

Thanks to streaming services such as Netflix or Disney+, a blockbuster is always available at home. During the pandemic, many movie theaters remained empty, now visitor numbers are rising again. At the same time streaming platforms increase their prices or restrict the possible uses.

On behalf of Galaxus, YouGov asked a good 2,500 people in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, France and Italy how and where they consume films and series. The results showed that younger people in particular are keeping the "old" cinema alive and watch fewer films or series at home than the older generations. The biggest cinema buffs live in the DACH region - and streaming is most common in Italy, but less so in Switzerland.

More popcorn in Italy, more couch in Germany and Austria

The cinema business has recovered from the pandemic years and blockbusters - such as Dune, Oppenheimer and Barbie - are back in cinemas in droves. Most respondents watch a movie on the big screen several times a year. The popcorn experience is particularly popular in Italy and France: around 20 percent of Italians and French people go to the cinema at least once a month.

By contrast, Europe's cinema grouches live in the DACH region: in Germany and Austria, around 40% of respondents attend a movie screening several times a year, but just as many go to the cinema less than once a year. Of these, two in ten stay away from the movie theaters altogether. The picture is similar in Switzerland.

There are also differences in age, with younger people going to the cinema more often than older people. Among 15 to 29-year-olds, six out of ten go to the cinema several times a year and two out of ten even go at least once a month. There is a balanced picture between the sexes, although men tend to indulge in the cinema experience more often than women.

It's good to watch TV in your jogging bottoms

Around half of the Europeans surveyed watch films or series at home either daily or several times a week. While almost a quarter of the French respondents sit in front of the screen for entertainment every day, only 13% of the Swiss do so.

And while the younger respondents go to the movies more often, the over-45s prefer their own four walls: almost a quarter of them watch James Bond, Tatort and the like every day, and almost 40% watch them at least several times a week. And a quarter of the women surveyed also watch films and series on a daily basis. Among 15 to 29-year-olds, this applies to only 11 out of 100 people.

Series marathon with the smartphone

When it comes to watching films and series, there is one thing above all that must not be missing in the home: the TV. The box flickers in more than 80 percent of European households. In Switzerland and Austria, a laptop or computer is also sufficient for a third of respondents. Women are slightly more likely to use a TV than men, while the latter are more likely to warm their legs with a laptop.

Almost half of 15 to 29-year-olds opt for a smaller screen, be it a laptop or a smartphone. For 60- to 79-year-olds, on the other hand, the TV is almost unanimously the device of choice, at 93%.

Home theater gadgets, on the other hand, are rarely found in living rooms or bedrooms in Europe. Streaming devices such as Apple TV or Google Chromecast are most likely to be found in Germany and Italy; in Switzerland, they are a rarity at 9%. Here, men also seem to enjoy home cinema equipment more than women: 17 percent of male respondents own a streaming device and 10 percent own a surround sound system.

Italy is the streaming champion, Switzerland the streaming grouch

And how do you watch the latest Hollywood blockbuster or your favorite series at home? Paid streaming services have established themselves in Europe. Italians are the frontrunners when it comes to streaming: 75% consume their films and series in this way. The French rely equally on traditional television and paid streaming services.

Switzerland, on the other hand, prefers watching TV to streaming: Around two thirds watch traditional TV. Although half of Swiss respondents also use paid streaming services, Switzerland streams the least in a European comparison. And: Although streaming via free platforms is legal in Switzerlandthe Swiss are in last place with 13 percent compared to neighboring countries.

Online media libraries are more popular in Germany than in other countries. And DVDs and Blu-rays are not yet obsolete either: in all countries except Italy, 12 to 16 percent of respondents still pop in a silver disk for movie nights.

If you remember the preferred device of senior citizens, the result is hardly surprising: 82% of 60 to 79-year-olds watch traditional TV. The younger ones prefer streaming. And 15 to 29-year-olds and men also surf free platforms more often than the rest of the respondents.

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