Family Entertainment - US - January 2016
Overview
 
What you need to know 
There are some 35 million households with children younger than 18 in the US – representing roughly 28% of all households. A stronger economy and improving consumer sentiment bode well for family entertainment – on average, families spend $182 per month on family entertainment. 

Key opportunity: The majority of parents say they like the trend toward gender-neutral products for kids which means brands can confidently experiment with de-genderizing products, services, and categories (eg, doing away with “girls” and “boys” toy aisles). 

Key challenge: When it comes to consuming entertainment, modern families are not limited to the TV – or even to one TV. The prevalence of devices and streaming options for entertainment (eg, tablets, gaming consoles, Netflix, YouTube) means that families may be consuming content on their own or in small groups that do not include all family members. Audience fragmentation means that advertising and marketing efforts are seen by fewer family members.

Definition 
This report includes analysis of in-home sources of entertainment, parents’ opinions on what children should/should not be exposed to in the media, qualities parents seek in family entertainment, the role of technology, and more.

For the purposes of this Report, Mintel uses the following definition: 

●	Parents: adults aged 18+ who are parents to kids <18 living in the household.

Expenditure data in this Report covers specific entertainment categories based on available data. It does not necessarily include all of the entertainment activities discussed in this Report. Covered categories include:

●	Audiovisual equipment/services, video gaming
●	Fees and admissions
●	Boats, campers, recreational vehicles
●	Sports, recreation, exercise equipment
●	Toys, games, hobbies
●	Reading
●	Photo equipment, supplies, services.