US Black adults consume about 81 hours and 13 minutes of media (TV, radio, and internet via any device) per week. That’s almost 12 hours more than the general population, which consumes an average of 69 hours and 22 minutes weekly, according to Nielsen’s February 2024 report, “The Global Black Audience.”

TV accounts for 54.8% of US Black consumers’ weekly time spent with media. CTV makes up less than half of all TV time (39.5%) among Black adults, per Nielsen. But this share is heavily skewed by the volume of live TV consumed by Black viewers ages 65 and older. CTV is popular among younger Black viewers, who are also likely to have multiple streaming subscriptions.

Black digital video viewers consume a mix of paid streaming services, free OTT services, and free ad-supported platforms. Roughly 73% of digital video viewers subscribe to three or more paid streaming services, according to a July 2023 Nielsen report.

In choosing platforms, Black viewers prioritize Black TV content. About 54% of Black consumers in the US prefer to watch TV shows and movies that feature actors who look like them, per Deloitte’s “2024 Digital Media Trends,” and 68% state that it's important for shows and movies to have diverse creative teams. Both figures are the highest among the racial and ethnic groups surveyed.

Black viewers are slightly less likely to avoid watching commercials than non-Black viewers. About 78.8% of non-Black viewers in the US avoid watching commercials compared with 71.0% of Black viewers, per MRI-Simmons.

Read the full report, Black Consumers’ Digital Habits 2024.