Teens have long wielded soft influence over Hollywood. But today's youth is at the center of the biggest shift in consumption habits that the video industry has seen. The post-millennial cohort known as Gen Z (anyone between the ages of approximately 8 and 22) is abandoning linear TV at faster rates than predicted even a few years ago.

Teens are watching 49 percent less traditional television than they did five years ago, Nielsen revealed July 31 in the latest installment of its Total Audience Report. But that doesn't mean they aren't watching TV programming — they're just watching it in a different way. Usage ?of internet-connected devices among teens is at ...