OK – spoiler alert – you can figure out four of the Top 20 shows college students watch just based on the photos to the right.
There’s Kim, and the guy who plays Tyrion Lannister in “Game of Thrones,” and the dads from “Modern Family” – and, of course, Stewie Griffin threatened us to put him on the list.
But there are 16 other top shows college students watch, and Campus News again has this exclusive list. You’ll have to jump to page 9 to see the rankings. Some will surprise you.
For the second straight year (see last year’s story here), we worked with Comcast’s Xfinity On Campus to develop this comprehensive survey. They now serve over 160 colleges as the sole TV carrier to hundreds of thousands of college students. They provide their own IP pipeline to these campuses, and any registered student can watch hundreds of channels via a standard TV, computer or device. And Xfinity On Campus is able to acquire real-time data to rank the Top 20 shows, whether watched live or on demand. Find out which…
By Darren Johnson
Campus News
“TV is not dead. Students are still watching content. It’s just how they are watching it has changed. They want to watch it on their own time, with their own devices,” said Adrian Adriano, Vice President for Strategic Initiatives for Comcast’s Xfinity On Campus.
The company has quickly grown from serving just a handful universities in 2014 to over 160 today. Hundreds of thousands of students at colleges in all parts of the country download the Xfinity Stream app as part of an exclusive agreement with their home campuses. It’s a nice perk for them, paid for through their student activity fees. And, for the past two years, the campuses have provided enough of a data pool for us to publish a definitive Top 20 list of the shows college students watch.
The Demographics
In general, these are traditional-age college students who live on campus; the age group is largely known as Generation Z. The Top 20 list is made up of 2019 data so far, beginning January 1 through October. Students are not on campus in the summer, for the most part, so that may exclude summer shows from our list. That said, typically, networks usually air repeats or less substantive shows in the summer. Of course, shows that are exclusively on Netflix, Hulu and similar services can’t be counted here.
Why This Data Is Important
These college TV rankings are different than, say, Nielsen ratings. Here, we have a relatively captive audience and can extrapolate data for a specific niche – Generation Z students on a college campus, regardless of whether or not they are watching TV live, or on demand; on an actual TV, or a device.
This data could be helpful for college students, to know which shows their fellow students are watching, and for faculty/staff who would like to plan topical lessons or events. Also, for advertisers who want to hit this particular niche, knowing which shows are trendy is certainly valuable.
Comparing 2018 to 2019
“Sports is not the No. 1 genre anymore, but that makes sense because this year we did not have an Olympics,” Adriano said. “Now, the viewership has shifted more, and the scripted and reality shows top the list.”
Last year, half of the shows on the list, including the No. 1 show, were sports related. Now, scripted and reality shows dominate. Football likely does better than portrayed here, but because of the way the school year breaks, basketball – both pro and college – rank better in this on-campus survey.
Also, as Xfinity On Campus includes HBO along with all of the typical broadcast and cable networks, it’s interesting to see how students hunt and peck for the best shows. There’s no particular loyalty to a certain channel. It’s the actual show that matters, not the network.
Adriano said that content is king, and he sees companies like his evolving from traditional cable TV companies to content delivery providers.
No Surprise at No. 1
Because Xfinity On Campus includes HBO, we see the final season of “Game of Thrones” leading the pack. The show was on hiatus last year, so did not rank. The edgy new HBO show “Euphoria,” about a 17-year-old drug addict played by Zendaya, is an instant hit among college students, coming in at No. 15. These are the only two non-commercial shows on the list. Other TV ratings lists usually don’t include HBO shows, so the Xfinity On Campus list gives us a bigger picture.
Gen Z Likes Their Parents
Some of these programs are really old. “Law and Order: SVU” and “The Simpsons” are shows that began over 20 years ago. And “Friends” has been off the air for nearly as long, but does extremely well in repeats. “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Modern Family” are older shows, as well.
Perhaps this demonstrates that students in dorms keep watching the same shows that were popular in their homes. Programs their Gen X parents watched continue to be watched by Gen Z, even outside the nest.
And comedies are doing better this year than last. “Sense of humor still resonates with the younger audience,” Adriano said.
Winners and Losers
“The Bachelor,” “The Bachelorette” and “Bachelor in Paradise” all rank in the Top 20.
College students will drop bad shows quickly, too. “The Good Doctor,” which has gotten repetitive, fell off of the list, and “The Jersey Shore’s” overhyped comeback was a dud, and also fell.
“This Is Us” fell nine places, from No. 2 to No. 11. And, it’s true, many people feel the show has become harder to follow.
New entries include “Family Guy,” “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” “Jane the Virgin” and “Impractical Jokers.”
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