Reaching out to and engaging the youth audience has become a key focus area for advertisers and hence media companies in Asia, where the youth segment is increasingly large and affluent. While the opportunity is significant, the youth segment has thus far been elusive for media companies – specifically, broadcasters and TV channels. Targeting youth is increasingly complex because of their diverse and evolving content consumption habits, and the difficulty in designing – and delivering – the right digital product mix and user experience for youth. So what should media companies do? Firstly, media companies need to get the right team in place that understands youth mindsets, aspirations, likes and dislikes in order to create a product which resonates with them. The companies then need to create the right environment and provide sufficient autonomy for the youth channel to succeed – a new youth proposition could mean a different brand, different values and even a different office. Secondly, media companies need to develop the right content strategy for youth. They should consider content ‘attributes’ as opposed to content genres. Our studies on youth consumption show that attributes such as ‘unpredictability’, ‘authenticity’ and ‘spontaneity’ drive viewership among different genres of content. Content (especially non-drama genres) should be structured into short self-contained segments that can be consumed independently online (e.g. ‘The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon’ or ‘The Jimmy Kimmel Show’). Thirdly, media companies should go beyond a 360 approach (TV, Digital, Events, Radio, Social Media, Print) and implement a transmedia strategy to engage youth audiences. For instance, the same tent-pole reality program on TV can have exclusives and sneak-peaks aired on the digital platform, an audio recap with commentary on radio, a parallel event on-ground and audience voting using social media. A transmedia strategy also provides opportunities to sell a bundled offering to advertisers across all its media properties. For more in-depth research and analysis on this topic, or to discuss specific opportunities, please contact Pioneer Consulting Asia.