Motorola, Inc. (NYSE:MOT) today announced further results of its research into the consumer technology decisions and media consumption habits of the ‘Millennial’ generation (16-27 year olds). This new study of over 1,200 Millennials from five countries in Europe and the Middle East found that young adults are passionate about being in control of their rich media content and are heavily influencing older generations.

The study was commissioned to further understand the Millennials’ viewing habits and how they move and share their content across devices. It found that not only do Millennials themselves engage with new technologies and services, they actively influence their parents’ adoption habits: The majority of respondents stated that they influence the broadband (83 percent) or TV services (84 percent) purchased by their parents, even if they do not live at home.

“Technology is the lifeblood of this generation. Millennials feel that their personal lifestyle would change dramatically without internet access. It is not surprising therefore to see their influence on technology purchasing for the home,” said Joe Cozzolino, corporate vice president and general manager, Motorola Home & Networks Mobility EMEA. "By understanding the needs and desires of this generation, Motorola is able to design and customize solutions for our customers that enable them to deliver rich media experiences to today’s and tomorrow’s consumer.”

Prime Time to My Time

TV is unsurprisingly still a favored form of entertainment. However, it is how, where and when we watch that is changing significantly. The traditional TV schedule is becoming a thing of the past:

• 78 percent of Millennials would prefer a TV programme to restart the moment they switch over to that channel
• Two-thirds (66 percent) would be interested in pausing TV in one room and restarting it in another. This compares to 86 percent of respondents in the United States when surveyed earlier this year
• Almost one in three (32 percent) prefer to watch programmes on their PC rather than TV set

Media mobility

Significant numbers of respondents want to be able to access full-length movies and their favorite shows on the move, yet it is through shorter bursts of content that mobile entertainment comes into its own:

• Having the option to shift TV programmes from the set-top at home to a mobile device enticed 81 percent of Millennials, demonstrating strong interest in increased media mobility
• 75 percent indicate that watching movies while traveling is appealing
• 62 percent would be interested in watching 15 minute mobile versions of 30 minute TV programmes and 61 percent would be interested in a three-minute version of their favorite shows on their mobile device.

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Millennials influence older generations because their technology experiences run much deeper, with 63 percent of respondents acknowledging that their demands and expectations for rich media experiences are higher than those of their parents.

Millennials do not passively digest content; they are increasingly looking to interact with what is on the screen:

• Over half of those surveyed would like to be able to interact with their TV and accessing information about the content they are watching
• 68 percent would be interested in learning about and possibly purchasing items featured in TV shows, with the highest appetite coming from the UAE where 81 percent of the sample expressed interest

There are strong signs that Millennials are adopting high definition TV (HDTV), and the figures point to a strong growth potential:

• HDTV is popular throughout all markets surveyed, especially in Germany and the UAE with 53 percent and 58 percent saying they love HD content
• 43 percent of respondents have an HDTV set; the UK having the greatest market penetration with 54 percent owning an HDTV set
• Of the 57 percent of total respondents who didn’t have an HDTV set, only a quarter said they did not want to get one

“Understanding how this group wants to engage with their content is crucial to developing intuitive experiences that allow them to interact as they wish,” continued Cozzolino. “In order for technology providers and content developers to stay on top of the media game they must keep up with the behaviors of the Millennials. It is the interests, passions and desires of this generation today that are shaping the landscape of tomorrow.”