Digital Consumer Trends
Digital Media Consumption Insights
Silver surfers are purchasing more smart TVs (+21%) and wearables such smartwatches (+44%) and wireless earbuds (+43%), while the smartphone is Gen Z’s Swiss knife, serving multiple purposes. Inspired by the device preferences of Belgians, our Digital Consumer Trends 2025 provides a deep dive into digital media consumption, analysing digital video, audio and news usage in Belgium.
Some devices reach new heights
In 2025, smart TVs and wearables, such as smartwatches and wireless earbuds, hit record growth among baby boomers. Owing to its versatility, the smartphone rivals dedicated devices for Gen Z across activities. Despite being customisable, most users stick with the default smart TV set‑up, highlighting the need for service providers to ensure pre‑installation and prime placement.
Personal use drives Gen AI boom
Gen AI adoption more than doubled between 2023 and 2025 with students (85%) and working individuals (64%) leading this shift. While retirees lag behind with 48% not even aware of Gen AI, the awareness and usage gender gap has narrowed to near parity. Most users (55%) rely on Gen AI for personal purposes, followed by education for Gen Z (37%) and work use for Gen Z, millennials, and Gen X (35%).
SVOD access soars
In 2025, access to SVOD grew by 25%, driven by a combination of factors. Belgian households have significantly increased their video streaming budgets since 2020, with the share spending more than €20 per month rising from 6% to 44%, and 17% spending over €40. Among those willing to pay more for video streaming, top features are ad‑free viewing, a larger content catalogue, and better personalisation.
One service dominates audio
Spotify maintains a very dominant position in Belgium’s on‑demand audio market with 40% using it weekly, followed by YouTube at 13%. Looking at the generational split, 63% of Gen Z listen to Spotify weekly, compared with just 13% of baby boomers—Radioplayer, the local radio service, has limited traction overall but skews toward older users.
TV and radio deliver the news
Across generations, TV and radio remain the most widely used news sources. However, 80% of baby boomers prefer TV, compared with just 31% of Gen Z and 51% of baby boomers prefer radio, compared with just 24% of Gen Z. The preferred news source for Gen Z is social media, including influencers. Remarkably, 61% of Gen Z update themselves once a week or less and 16% do not follow the news at all.
Previous year's report
