Americans are spending more on streaming each month than they are on gas

Your streaming habit might be costing you a pretty penny.

Americans are spending an average of $119.76 a month on streaming video services, more than the average $112.11 per month they spend on gas, according to a new report from Fox Corp.-owned free streamer Tubi and Stagwell’s The Harris Poll.

The report, which detailed new streaming trends, particularly among Gen Zers and millennials, found that that’s just about as high as consumers feel willing to go: 83% of survey respondents would cut ties with a streamer if it upped prices, the survey found. (Last year, streaming steadily grew pricier as services attempted to better monetize their services and encourage ad-supported viewing.)

We compiled some of the other highlights of the report below:

My way or the highway: When it comes to ads, viewers don’t want ads disrupting their programming too much. More than a third of respondents said their most preferred ad format was a standard ad break during a “convenient plot point break,” much like ad breaks on traditional TV.

Free ad-supported streaming is popular, too: 65% of respondents reported using at least one free service like Tubi. (As of January 2024, Tubi had 78 million MAUs, the report found, making it the most-watched free streaming service.)

Watch party: Co-viewing is the name of the game. Nearly three-quarters of respondents said they viewed streaming content with household members to spend quality time. Gen Z approached co-viewing a little differently; 54% of those younger survey respondents who streamed communally preferred to watch with people outside their households.

Revenge bedtime: Prefer to binge-watch TV over getting z’s, especially on busy days when you haven’t had enough downtime? You’re not alone: 52% of viewers who engaged in this behavior, termed “revenge bedtime,” preferred nighttime viewing, while 29% engaged in it due to busy daytime schedules.

Déjà vu: Gen Z and millennials love a walk down memory lane. Overall, 96% of respondents reported liking older, nostalgic programming. That said, 48% of Gen Z and millennials felt pressure to stream current TV shows to stay abreast of pop culture.

Start from scratch: Hollywood, take note: 74% of Gen Z and millennials would rather watch original programming than reboots or franchised content. And a similar majority, 71%, reported wanting to see more content from indie or smaller creators.