• The gender gap stands at 22 percentage points between young men (25–34) and older women (65+): 68% vs. 46%

• Interest in the news is the strongest predictor: 55% of those who are very interested use video apps, compared with 30% of those who are not very interested

Those who reported having used a smart TV connected to the internet to access news in the past week—54% of the sample (n = 1,106)—were asked whether they had done so through video apps, such as YouTube, or through other means. The result almost a tie: 48% used video apps, and 50% accessed news through other channels (live television, media-specific apps, aggregators).

 
When extrapolated to the entire sample, the informational use of the smart TV Through video apps, it reaches 26% of Spaniards; another 27% use the smart TV for news from other sources. The remaining 46% do not use the smart TV as source weekly news source .

Age is the sociodemographic factor with the greatest explanatory power. The use of video apps declines almost linearly as age increases: from 58% among those aged 25–34 to 36% among those over 65. The total decline is 22 percentage points, a substantial difference that suggests that, among younger groups, smart TVs are undergoing a transition toward an on-demand model that has not yet taken hold to the same extent among older age groups.

Gender, in turn, amplifies the effect of age. Across the entire sample, men use video news apps on smart TVs about 10 percentage points more than women—approximately 54% vs. 44%, excluding NS/NC. But this gap is not uniform: it peaks among the group —68% vs. 49%, a difference of 19 percentage points—and among the 35–44 age group—63% vs. 42%, 21 percentage points. Starting at age 45, the difference narrows, and among those over 65, it stands at around 8–9 points. The profile highest usage—men aged 25 to 44—matches that of YouTube Username active Username YouTube news on other screens.

Informational Interest, Escapism, and Television Behavior

Stated interest in the news is the most powerful individual predictor of video app usage on smart TVs. Among those who show a high interest in the news, 55% use video apps; among those with low interest, that percentage drops to 30%, a difference of 25 points. This patron saint consistent with the profile of Username YouTube Username : an active audience that intentionally seeks out content, rather than being passively exposed to it.

News avoidance, however, produces a result : those who avoid the news use video apps more than those who do not—approximately 51% versus 43%. A plausible hypothesis is that the logic of video on demand—choosing what to watch, when, and for how long—is more compatible with a selective or intermittent relationship with the news than linear television, where the news airs at a fixed time with a diary the viewer cannot control. News avoiders do not necessarily reject all information; they may simply be avoiding a format they cannot manage.

Conventional television viewing habits reveal another interesting finding: those who do not use traditional television for news are more likely to use video apps on smart TVs —approximately 52–54%—than those who do use it—around 46%. This suggests a partial substitution effect: some of the users who have stopped watching free-to-air news programs continue to get their news on the big screen, but through the video-on-demand ecosystem.

 
The factor that accounts for the most pronounced difference is previous use of YouTube news on any device. Among those who already use YouTube source , 78% also use video apps on smart TVs to access news. Among those who do not use YouTube news, that figure drops to 40%—a difference of 38 percentage points. This result that the use of video apps on smart TV This is not behavior specific to that screen: it largely reflects a patron saint Username consumption Username carries over from one device to another. The YouTube Username brings that logic to the big screen. This has a direct strategic implication: a media outlet’s presence on YouTube video-on-demand platforms not only captures the Username computers or mobile devices, but also extends into the living room.