Consumers age 65 and older are the largest supporters of local news and pay TV, according to the Fall 2026 #FutureOfTV report from Ring Digital. More than four-in-five (81%) of those consumers watched television daily, while more than three-in-five (64%) watched the local news.

The numbers for 18- to 24-year-olds paled in comparison, with 30% watching television on a daily basis and only 10% watching local news.

Most (60%) of the younger demographic relies on TikTok for news, compared to only 11% for the older demographic. The 25-64 group is at about 30%.

The report found that a little more than half (52%) of those 65 and older saw their last local newscast on pay TV, compared to only 14% of those in the 18-24 demographic.

Other findings included:

• More than a third (38%) of those 18-24 use a smartphone or tablet as a TV device, compared to only 5% of those 65 and older.
• Nearly half (47%) of those 65 and older named a local TV station newscast as their preferred news brand, compared to only 14% of 18- to 24-year-olds.
• More than a third (36%) of those 65 and older studied by the report used a cable or satellite box as a TV device, compared to only 4% of 18- to 24-year-olds.
• More than four-in-10 (41%) of those 65 and older didn’t use a free app on the TV last week before the survey, compared to only 8% of 18- to 24-year-olds.

“The challenge for local broadcasters isn’t simply that pay TV is declining,” said Brian Ring, founder of Ring Digital and #FutureOfTV.Live, in a prepared statement about the report. “It’s that the next generation of viewers is developing an entirely different relationship with news and television. The question is increasingly how broadcasters bring their programming into those new viewing behaviors — and then turn discovery back into tune-in.”