Consumer spending on media in the United States 2017-2027, by scenario

In the United States, consumer spending on media was estimated to amount to about 269 billion U.S. dollars in 2022. According to the forecast scenarios, that annual value would surpass 315 billion or stand just below 300 billion dollars by 2027.

What do the scenarios mean?

In scenario A, the recession would only have a short-term impact on consumer media spending. At the height of the recession in 2023, consumers are expected to spend less on entertainment to offset rising energy and consumer product prices. The economy should begin to recover by 2024 and should be fully mended by 2027, with spending on media back to pre-pandemic levels.
Scenario B predicts a long-term impact of the recession on media consumption behavior. Ad-supported options will replace subscription-based offers, whereas on-and-off subscribing will increase, driven by special offers and consumers unsubscribing after those offers expire. Behavior changes will stick even after 2027 when the economy has fully recovered.

Media usage today

Media usage in the United States has already changed within just one year. Recent data from the beginning of 2023 shows that consumers opt for free entertainment choices. More people indicate watching free-on-demand TV, more of them also listen to the radio. Podcasts also gained in popularity, compared to the first quarter of 2022. Also fewer people say they don’t watch live TV, which is a potential sign of the growing popularity of free-ad-supported-TV (FAST) services as well.