Which demographics have shown the most significant shifts in viewership for these news networks between 2020 and 2025?
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Executive summary
Between 2020 and 2025 the largest, clearest shifts in news audiences have been generational: younger people (Gen Z and younger millennials) moved decisively toward social video and digital-native platforms, while television news consumption consolidated among older viewers — with the traditional 25–54 advertising demo showing volatility tied to news events and platform changes [1] [2] [3] [4]. These changes are driven as much by platform algorithm shifts and the rise of connected TV/streaming as by raw partisan or network-brand loyalties [1] [5] [6].
1. Young viewers: a wholesale migration to social video and short-form platforms
Across the markets covered by the Reuters Institute, social video consumption rose sharply — social video from 52% to 65% and any video from 67% to 75% between 2020 and 2025 — and dependence on social/video sources is highest among 18–24 and 25–34-year-olds, with 44% of 18–24s and 38% of 25–34s saying those are their main news sources [1]; complementary reporting shows that 63% of Gen Z users turn to TikTok for news, underscoring that the platform shift is concentrated in the youngest cohorts [7]. The World Economic Forum and Reuters Institute both note that in multiple countries people now “prefer to watch the news rather than read it,” a cultural tilt that disproportionately alters how younger audiences access and stick with news brands [2] [1].
2. The 25–54 advertising demo: volatility and event-driven rebounds
The advertiser-coveted Adults 25–54 cohort has not migrated away uniformly; instead it has become more event-responsive and platform-fluid. Cable networks reported both declines and intermittent surges in the 25–54 demo across 2024–25: Q2 2025 showed declines in primetime 25–54 across cable [4], yet January 2025 produced triple-digit demo gains for CNN and broad demo growth for the big three cable outlets as storylines and political shifts drew viewers back [8]. Variety’s ratings analysis shows networks can still win 18–49/25–54 spikes around major events (e.g., Super Bowl boosts Fox), indicating this demo now chases both content/event and platform convenience [6].
3. Older viewers: consolidation and demographic concentration on linear TV
Network and legacy cable news audiences have grown older on average and, in many cases, more concentrated: Pew’s audience-age analysis puts the median ages for CBS, NBC and ABC news audiences in the mid-to-late 50s, and notes that some major cable networks also skew older than the adult population overall (median ages 55–58 range) [3]. Scholarly analysis and industry reporting find a concentration of linear news consumption among older demographics while younger viewers gravitate to digital natives, producing a demographic sorting of attention that benefits legacy brands in raw totals but risks long-term attrition [9] [10].
4. Platform and device effects: streaming, CTV and social algorithms remap audience maps
Connected TV and streaming growth has shifted viewing time away from linear cable and broadcast — streaming reached roughly 44.8% of total TV viewership mid-2025, surpassing combined broadcast and cable shares — which matters because younger and millennial viewers are more likely to consume news via CTV ad-supported streaming or social video clips rather than traditional newscasts [5]. Reuters and WEF analyses attribute part of the 2020–25 viewership changes to platform algorithm adjustments that prioritized video (Facebook/Instagram/X) and to Google’s short-video features, magnifying younger cohorts’ turn to short-form news [1] [2].
5. Implications, limits and alternative readings
Taken together, the largest demographic shifts are generational: Gen Z and young millennials moving to social video and platform-native formats, the 25–54 demo becoming volatile and event-sensitive, and older adults consolidating linear news audiences [1] [7] [3] [4]. However, the picture is not uniform — networks can still win back younger demo minutes during major events and methodological quirks (survey windows, Comscore/Nielsen changes) can produce apparent reversals like Fox’s 2025 gains tied to the Super Bowl or political cycles [6] [8]. Reporting limitations in the supplied sources mean finer-grained changes (race, education, urban/rural splits) cannot be asserted here without additional data.