Hungarians Over 50: TV Still the Primary Source

Internet use is on the rise over the age of fifty, but TV is still the first, according to a statement on media consumption habits sent to the Hungarian state news agency MTI by the Communications Directorate of the National Media and Infocommunications Authority (NMHH) on Wednesday.

The online presence of 50-75 year-olds has become a dominant feature of the age group. Almost all older internet users use social media, and a third of them also use paid streaming services. However, the most popular content is still mostly consumed on traditional TV channels, according to the latest research carried out by the Association of Hungarian Electronic Broadcasters (MEME) in cooperation with the NMHH.

Thanks to the technological evolution of recent years, the range of platforms offering cinematic content has expanded significantly. It is legitimate to ask what role traditional television plays in the consumption of video content in these changed circumstances. Among other things, this question is answered by the latest research carried out in cooperation between MEME and the NMHH, in which 2,000 people aged between 50 and 75 were asked about their media consumption habits.

The range of audiovisual equipment in the households of 50–75-year-olds can have an impact on their content consumption platform and is a general indicator of how well this age group follows the technological and digital trends of our time. The data shows that TV is a must-have in almost all households, but modern devices such as smartphones, laptops and tablets are also present in the households of 50–75-year-olds. Two thirds own a smartphone, and almost one in two households own a laptop or notebook, but even the prevalence of tablets is almost 25%.

Within the 50-75 age group, smartphone, laptop and tablet penetration is lower among the 60-75 age group (56, 28 and 14% respectively), but the penetration of modern devices has started to spread to the older age group.

Internet use is widespread in the 50-75 age group, with one third using the internet daily and two thirds using the internet more than once a week. When looking at social media use within the age group, it is almost identical to internet use, i.e. almost all internet users follow social media. Although 33% of 60–75-year-olds do not use the internet or rarely go online, this age group can by no means be considered as late adopters of changing media use patterns: the online presence of 50–75-year-olds has become a dominant feature of the age group.