Has Gen Z Already Decided the Fate of Hollywood?

One of the more interesting trends over the last decade is figuring out where Gen Z will take Hollywood in the future. So far, the answer has been "someplace completely different."In a new report from The Hollywood Reporter, Gen Z is basically leaving Hollywood behind, with an adamant focus on content creators and channels that offer short-form entertainment. The report is based on Deloitte‘s 19th annual digital media trends survey. It takes into account the preferences of audiences and this year, Gen Z has broken the mold. The survey revealed that 56% of Gen Zs and 43% of millennials find social media content “more relevant than traditional TV shows and movies.” If that wasn't damning enough, around 50% said they would feel a stronger personal connection to social media creators than to TV personalities or actors.Their reasoning is authenticity. Gen Z believes these creators are more "real" than the things Hollywood is producing, especially with AI coming into play. CREDIT: Deloitte digital media trends surveyNow, Hollywood needs Gen Z to watch things in order to stay in business. We need them to want to go to the movies and we need them to want to watch TV, whether that's streaming or network. The answer to this problem is not as simple as just casting more of these content creators in roles. The survey also found that only 29% of consumers overall would want to watch stuff starring those creators. But 49% of Gen Z would actually want that, so to get them, maybe the answer is adding them to more stories. But those creators may not even want to do it because 30% of consumers said that creators lose the authenticity they had on social media when they’re featured on TV shows. The survey came with some suggestions on how traditional movie and TV studios can survive this new trend. They were: Advertising technology and AI are moving to the center of content economics. Studios should invest in ad tech to deliver more affordable and effective impressions and conversions. Strategic partnerships may be better needed to unlock these capabilities.Studios should gather larger audiences, potentially through mergers and acquisitions or clever aggregation, finding world-class ad tech partners to help them compete in the new ad landscape.Adopt technology quickly. Look to virtual production and AI to enable cheaper and faster production; generative AI for dubbing and translation to cross language barriers; and software and AI capabilities that can automate more operational functions, like contracts, script evaluation, and finding film locations. Much of this may require modernizing operations and finance. Social platforms are the nexus of discovery, awareness, and hype for film and TV: 56% of younger generations surveyed watch TV shows or movies on SVOD after hearing about them from creators online, and 53% say they get better recommendations on what to watch from social media. Marketing efforts should start and end on leading social platforms.The fear that short form doesn’t work for premium IP may be mislaid. Get creative and publish to social platforms. Social video can help lift TV and moviesSocial content creators can be the strongest advocates—or opponents—of studio creativity, talent, and storytelling. They can help you engage audiences and communicate with them with greater authenticity. And they may be keys to unlocking virality and shaping culture.All these are interesting ideas, but they would mark a dramatic shift in the way things are running right now. The idea of getting bigger to get better is interesting. We see a lot of consolidation as is; I'm not sure making one huge company in Hollywood is the right way. It feels like we need more companies making more things for cheaper. That would create a lot more projects for people to pick from and help capitalize on niche markets as well as attract a broad spectrum of viewers. I have been opening myself up to watching more social content and looking at the kinds of stories they tell that connect. We should all be doing this, but we should also try to find a happy medium of getting them to love what we're doing as well. Welcoming them might mean casting content creators in movies and TV shows with traditional narratives to bring them to new audiences. Or making episodes of things shorter, to meet them halfway. And while the assumption of whether or not AI can make things cheaper is completely based on the idea of not paying people to do jobs, we have yet to see anyone make it work effectively. Like I said, there are no easy answers; there is just a lot of information we have to take in. Let me know what you think in the comments.

Mar 25, 2025 - 20:19

Has Gen Z Already Decided the Fate of Hollywood?

One of the more interesting trends over the last decade is figuring out where Gen Z will take Hollywood in the future. So far, the answer has been "someplace completely different."

In a new report from The Hollywood Reporter, Gen Z is basically leaving Hollywood behind, with an adamant focus on content creators and channels that offer short-form entertainment.

The report is based on Deloitte‘s 19th annual digital media trends survey. It takes into account the preferences of audiences and this year, Gen Z has broken the mold.

The survey revealed that 56% of Gen Zs and 43% of millennials find social media content “more relevant than traditional TV shows and movies.”

If that wasn't damning enough, around 50% said they would feel a stronger personal connection to social media creators than to TV personalities or actors.

Their reasoning is authenticity.

Gen Z believes these creators are more "real" than the things Hollywood is producing, especially with AI coming into play.

CREDIT: Deloitte digital media trends survey

Now, Hollywood needs Gen Z to watch things in order to stay in business. We need them to want to go to the movies and we need them to want to watch TV, whether that's streaming or network.

The answer to this problem is not as simple as just casting more of these content creators in roles.

The survey also found that only 29% of consumers overall would want to watch stuff starring those creators. But 49% of Gen Z would actually want that, so to get them, maybe the answer is adding them to more stories.

But those creators may not even want to do it because 30% of consumers said that creators lose the authenticity they had on social media when they’re featured on TV shows.

The survey came with some suggestions on how traditional movie and TV studios can survive this new trend.

They were:

Advertising technology and AI are moving to the center of content economics. Studios should invest in ad tech to deliver more affordable and effective impressions and conversions. Strategic partnerships may be better needed to unlock these capabilities.
Studios should gather larger audiences, potentially through mergers and acquisitions or clever aggregation, finding world-class ad tech partners to help them compete in the new ad landscape.
Adopt technology quickly. Look to virtual production and AI to enable cheaper and faster production; generative AI for dubbing and translation to cross language barriers; and software and AI capabilities that can automate more operational functions, like contracts, script evaluation, and finding film locations. Much of this may require modernizing operations and finance.
Social platforms are the nexus of discovery, awareness, and hype for film and TV: 56% of younger generations surveyed watch TV shows or movies on SVOD after hearing about them from creators online, and 53% say they get better recommendations on what to watch from social media. Marketing efforts should start and end on leading social platforms.
The fear that short form doesn’t work for premium IP may be mislaid. Get creative and publish to social platforms. Social video can help lift TV and movies
Social content creators can be the strongest advocates—or opponents—of studio creativity, talent, and storytelling. They can help you engage audiences and communicate with them with greater authenticity. And they may be keys to unlocking virality and shaping culture.

All these are interesting ideas, but they would mark a dramatic shift in the way things are running right now.

The idea of getting bigger to get better is interesting. We see a lot of consolidation as is; I'm not sure making one huge company in Hollywood is the right way. It feels like we need more companies making more things for cheaper. That would create a lot more projects for people to pick from and help capitalize on niche markets as well as attract a broad spectrum of viewers.

I have been opening myself up to watching more social content and looking at the kinds of stories they tell that connect. We should all be doing this, but we should also try to find a happy medium of getting them to love what we're doing as well.

Welcoming them might mean casting content creators in movies and TV shows with traditional narratives to bring them to new audiences. Or making episodes of things shorter, to meet them halfway.

And while the assumption of whether or not AI can make things cheaper is completely based on the idea of not paying people to do jobs, we have yet to see anyone make it work effectively.

Like I said, there are no easy answers; there is just a lot of information we have to take in.

Let me know what you think in the comments.