According to a Cowen poll, Netflix is ​​the most watched television service in the United States

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Netflix is ​​now the most popular television service in America. And by the look of things, his dominance will only increase.

A plurality of US consumers claim that Netflix is ​​the video offering that they tune in most often, according to a new Cowen Financial Research Group survey. They ranked the streaming giant ahead not only of digital rivals such as Amazon Prime Video and YouTube, but also of traditionally dominant television services – broadcast and cable base.

But the benefit of Netflix was even more evident when Cowen focused on younger consumers – those aged 18 to 34 years old. Among this group, Netflix was not just no. Among the most watched television services, with nearly 40% of respondents, it had a lead of almost 23 points on YouTube, its closest rival.

The survey "highlights the importance of Netflix in the home, especially in the millennia," said John Blackledge, an analyst at Cowen, in a research note Tuesday. The huge and growing investment of the company in new and original shows and movies "will probably ensure [it] the first place in the show over time," he added.

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Citing the survey results as well as his more optimistic new forecast for Netflix's international business, Cowen raised his target price on Netflix shares from $ 375 to $ 430. In recent trading on Tuesday, Netflix shares were at $ 390.52.

Looking at the number of viewers, Cowen interviewed 2,500 American consumers. Overall, 27.2% said that among all the services they watch on their TV, Netflix was the service they saw most often. In second place was the basic cable at 20.4%.

Jenny Cheng / BI Graphics

These results were somewhat skewed by the large number of consumers who either canceled their traditional pay television service or never signed one. Together, these two groups accounted for 30% of the total respondents to the survey.

Excluding these groups – among which streaming services such as Netflix are likely to be particularly popular – the streaming giant was no longer the most watched service. Instead, he fell to second place behind the basic cable, but only barely, indicating how popular it is even among the supporters of traditional television.

Jenny Cheng / BI Graphics

But traditional television is generally older than the rest of the population. Among younger consumers, Netflix's dominance is even more pronounced.

Jenny Cheng / BI Graphics

This is auspicious for the future of the company, as argued Mr. Blackledge.