Millennials Love Watching HGTV

By Michael Reilly on January 24, 2018

As a generation that’s been highly exposed to an ample amount of streaming services and much less focused on traditional cable, many millennials are actually tuning in to HGTV. Millennials (along with generation Z) make up for 55% of the network’s audience.

The reason for this has to do with the unfortunate fact that home prices are on the rise which makes it tougher for 20 and 30-somethings to buy homes. That being said, it provides these up-and-coming adults with a source of escapism, much like any good television programming is supposed to do.

via Pixabay.com

According to an interview on the subject matter by Yahoo Finance, Michael Barbara, 25, spends five to six hours a week watching HGTV.

“With all the news in the world right now, it feels like a really nice escape. The programming is aspirational, inspirational, and feels like a bit of a vacation,” he said.

Fellow millennial Jocelyn Jezierny, 26, also finds that sense of escapism through the channel’s programming.

“The HGTV shows are a mindless escape with manufactured or really silly ‘drama’ it’s easy to watch them while doing other things, too. Plus there are so many different episodes on demand so I can watch them whenever and without commercials. My boyfriend and I have super different tastes in TV shows, but we both agree that we really enjoy HGTV,”

And when comes to getting viewers to keep watching, it helps to have engaging, funny hosts, which the network has an abundance of.

There’s the husband-wife tandem of Chip and Joanna Gaines of the popular show “Fixer Upper.” According to “Fixer Upper” fan Heewon Sohn, 38, the hosts’ popularity is making its way into the mainstream.

“I even saw people dressing up as them for Halloween. I really like the dynamic between the two. She’s definitely in charge,”

The success and popularity of the show have landed the Gaines couple two book deals as well as their own home decor line at Target.

Another stand out pair of family hosts on the network is that of brother duo Drew and Jonathan Scott. The twin brothers host their popular show known as “Property Brothers”, which is a personal favorite of mine. Drew is a real estate agent who helps the clients find a new home. On the flipside, Jonathan is a licensed contractor who gets the client’s current home in the best shape possible before selling. Their opposite ends of the spectrum jobs play a big part in their light-hearted and goofy sibling rival dynamic.

The two brothers have recently partnered with Chase bank for a marketing campaign, which means any customer of that bank will likely be seeing a lot more of the brothers one way or another.

Perhaps the biggest influence drawing millennials to the HGTV network is the fantasy element as many of them watch from their parents’ house or their own tiny apartment.

Sharon Park, a 28-year-old who works in real estate management in New Jersey attested to this statement;

“I guess for millennials, it feels like a fantasy. We love to see things we can’t afford, given that we’re crammed into 300 square-foot apartments and have debt,” she said.

Staying with the term “fantasy” one would certainly hope that millennials (or anyone for that matter) don’t get the impression getting into real estate is as simple and profitable as it may appear on the shows. If you’re someone who thinks they may be interested in getting into the field of real estate investing and house flipping, check out this article on biggerpockets.com which breaks down the difference between the fantasy of HGTV shows and real life.

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