How EU citizens consume content in the new media landscape

A revision of our 2024 analysis, updated to reflect the recent shifts in the media landscape.

Building on the challenges communicators face in reaching European citizens—fragmented media use, the rise of populist narratives, and an influx of AI-generated content—let's explore how the EU can maintain consistency, visibility, and relevance in this rapidly evolving landscape.

First, Europeans are consuming information differently. People are moving beyond traditional media, including some established social platforms, and audiences increasingly navigate content across multiple channels rather than relying on a single destination. The question is no longer which platform will dominate, but how to communicate effectively in an increasingly fragmented ecosystem.

Today, social media often serves as a primary source of news, messaging apps function as community hubs, and AI capabilities are increasingly embedded within the digital services people already use instead of existing as standalone destinations. 

AI-generated content

One of the most noticeable developments in digital media has been the proliferation of AI "slop"—cheap, low-quality, AI-generated video content that now floods all major social media platforms. On YouTube, a Kapwing study found more than one in five videos recommended to new users is AI slop, while similar material pours across TikTok, X, Instagram, and beyond. The surge was big enough that mentions of "AI slop" online rose ninefold in 2025, and "slop" was named Merriam-Webster's word of the year.

But there is another use of AI that is harder to detect and easier to weaponise. Increasingly, AI-generated and fabricated images, cloned voices, and synthetic videos are being used in political debates, including around climate change.

The European Commission's Directorate-General for Climate Action confronted this challenge directly in its #ClimateFactsMatter campaign, developed in partnership with ICF Next. The initiative urges audiences to be alert to AI-generated fakes, particularly when something looks “off.” The concern is well founded: a 2025 Eurobarometer survey found that 49% of EU citizens struggle to distinguish reliable climate information from disinformation on social media.

Changing viewing habits

Combating misinformation also requires making sure credible information reaches audiences where they actually spend their time. As viewing habits shift, there are more ways than ever for trusted voices to engage with the public.

Television is still a dominant channel, even if the definition of “watching television” has changed. European audiences are using a broad range of devices to access premium video content, including set-top-box video-on-demand (30%), mobile (29%), CTV or Connected TV (26%), and desktop (15%). And viewers are tuning into premium video content at different moments and for different purposes—from catching up on their favourite series on a laptop or tablet while on the go to watching a family movie together in the living room.

What’s more, 78% of European audiences watch significantly more video-on-demand (VOD) content than live content (22%). Among the audiences that use VOD, 68% tune in to long-form video entertainment, highlighting the enduring popularity of this format. At the same time, over 30% still favour short-form content, which underscores the complexity of the situation for communicators.

Successful content strategies

What can we draw from this? Regardless of screen size, it's clear that video or audiovisual (AV) content is being widely consumed in new and, at times, surprising ways. Communicators need to dig into these new interactions and forge new connections between formats, which have often been viewed separately in the past. For example, social media is now the primary way most viewers find new content, which means that discovery increasingly starts somewhere other than where the content originates.

We can learn a lot from how successful AV content creators keep their viewers watching. Weekly episodes foster stronger and more enduring communities than binged box sets, using cliffhangers to engage viewers and create a shared moment where the public is left guessing. Both fiction and nonfiction programs use these tricks to extend their reach beyond usual AV formats. They also use multiple channels—such as an accompanying podcast series—for promotion and interaction, creating a whole “solar system” of content.

This approach harnesses the range of citizens’ media consumption and turns it into a strength: a way to reinforce consistent messages and build connection and trust over time. The EU can forge this connection by offering different types of content: entertainment (parodies, spoofs, or memes); practical, informative content that answers questions or explains topical issues (how-to guides or explainer videos); and thought-provoking content that encourages reflection or introduces new ideas (opinion pieces or TED-style talks). In short, content that resonates with citizens while addressing their everyday interests and needs.