Baby Boomers are often treated like the last audience standing in an older version of TV.
The data tells a more interesting story.
They have moved into streaming. They have embraced ad-supported viewing. And they still give TV something many other channels struggle to earn: focused attention.
That is what makes this audience so valuable to understand in 2026. Baby Boomers may be less social-led, less mobile, and less interested in flashy ad formats than younger generations. But when TV works for them, it works for a reason. It feels clear. It feels credible. And it gives them enough to keep going.
For marketers, that creates a different kind of opportunity. Not to make TV louder or trendier, but to make it more useful, more trustworthy, and easier to follow through on.
Streaming has arrived here too, just differently
Baby Boomers are the least streaming-first generation, but they are streaming-first all the same.
61% of Baby Boomers watch TV through streaming apps, and 52% subscribe to three or more streaming services.1 They are not building the same sprawling streaming stacks as younger audiences, but streaming is clearly part of the way they watch now.
What stands out even more is how they pay for it. 74% of Baby Boomers have ad-supported tiers in their streaming mix, the highest of any generation.1
That number says a lot. Baby Boomers are not avoiding modern TV. They are choosing a version of it that feels practical. If ad-supported viewing helps them access the content they want at a better value, they are willing to make that trade.
For brands, that matters. Advertising is not arriving as an interruption to some separate viewing experience. It is already part of the version of TV many Boomers have chosen.
TV still gets their full attention
If younger audiences make TV feel fluid and fast-moving, Baby Boomers remind us what attention still looks like when it settles.
54% of Baby Boomers say they pay more attention to ads on TV than on their phone, the highest of any generation. And only 48% scroll or shop while watching TV, making them the least distracted audience.1
That is a meaningful distinction.
Baby Boomers are not splitting their focus across as many screens, feeds, and social interactions in the same moment. They are more likely to stay with what is in front of them. That does not mean they trust every ad they see. But it does mean TV still has the chance to land with greater clarity and less competition.
For marketers, that is an advantage. In a media environment built around constant fragmentation, Baby Boomers remain one of the clearest examples of TV as a high-attention environment.
For Baby Boomers, discovery still starts with TV
This is where the Baby Boomer story really separates from the others.
33% of Baby Boomers discover new products on TV, the highest of any generation. 26% discover new products on search, also the highest. Only 6% discover new products on social, the lowest by far.1
That is a very different discovery pattern from Gen Z or Millennials.
Baby Boomers are not relying on feeds to introduce them to what is new. TV still plays a primary role in how brands first enter the picture. Search helps them follow up. Social is simply less central to the process.
That makes TV more than a supporting channel with this audience. It is often one of the first places a brand gets noticed.
Search then becomes the natural next step. Not because TV failed to do its job, but because TV did enough to create interest worth checking.
After the ad, they go verify it
Baby Boomers may not be the fastest-moving audience, but they are deeply practical in what they do next.
57% have made a purchase after seeing a TV ad. 53% searched for the brand after seeing a TV ad. 43% visited the brand’s website. And 45% looked up reviews, the highest of any generation.1
What they do not do is just as telling.
0% of Baby Boomers go straight to social media as their first stop after seeing a TV ad.1
That pattern makes their decision process feel distinct. They are not heading into a feed to see what other people are saying first. They are going to the brand, the search engine, or the reviews. They want the details. They want the confirmation. They want to know whether the brand holds up once they look a little closer.
For marketers, that is an important reminder. With Baby Boomers, TV does not need to trigger immediate social buzz. It needs to earn the follow-up.
Better TV for Boomers is clearer, not flashier
Baby Boomers are the least interested in personalized ads on TV, creator-led formats, and shoppable pause ads.
20% want personalized ads on TV. 16% pay attention to creator-led TV ads. 11% want shoppable pause ads. All are the lowest of any generation.1
That does not suggest resistance to change so much as selectivity.
Baby Boomers are not asking TV to behave more like social media. They are not looking for more novelty layered onto the screen. They are responding to something simpler: relevance, clarity, and ease.
The opportunity is not to make TV feel more complicated. It is to make it more informed behind the scenes, so the creative that shows up feels timely, credible, and worth following up on.
For Baby Boomers, the smartest TV experience may not be the most interactive one. It may simply be the one that feels most useful.
A steadier role for TV with Baby Boomers
With Baby Boomers, the power of TV is not speed. It is steadiness.
They stream, but on practical terms. They pay attention. They discover on TV. They search, visit, and read before they buy. And when a brand gives them enough clarity to keep going, they are willing to act.
That gives TV a very specific role with this audience.
It is not the place where a brand chases novelty. It is the place where a brand earns a closer look.
The marketers who win with Baby Boomers will understand that difference. They will not try to force this audience into a younger pattern of behavior. They will build for what is already true: that Baby Boomers still respond to advertising that feels clear, credible, and worth checking out for themselves.
When TV does that well, it becomes more than a place to appear. It becomes the moment a brand starts to feel dependable.
Download the 2026 Consumer Trends Report to explore the full findings across generations and turn these Gen X insights into your next media plan.
Sources:
1 - tvScientific by Pinterest, 2026 Consumer Trends Report, United States, April 2026, Baby Boomers = 60 - 78
