Americans' favorite forms of entertainment are digital

The shift to digital is growing, and watching movies and TV are Americans' top choices for entertainment.More than one-fourth - 27 percent - of all entertainment hours in 2018 were spent watching TV and movies, according to research by The NPD Group. Listening to music was second at 19 percent, and 16 percent of entertainment hours were spent playing video games.The remaining 38 percent of entertainment time was spent reading books, social networking and participating in other activities. “While video content topped Americans’ entertainment choices last year, their viewing continued to shift toward subscription video and other digital forms of viewing,” said Kathi Chandler-Payatt, media entertainment industry analyst for NPD. “In fact, more than half of U.S. consumers streamed video content via subscription last year.” Americans are embracing not only digital streaming of video but also digital gaming and music. The number of consumers buying only physical games declined from 47 percent in 2015 to 36 percent in 2018. Three-fourths of music transactions are digital, as they have been for the past three years, while roughly one-third, 30 percent, of music consumers continue to purchase only physical music.