Rethinking Entertainment for Today’s Independent Senior Living Residents

For today’s independent living residents, entertainment is more than a television and a handful of channels. Residents are bringing increasingly sophisticated viewing habits with them into senior living communities, and their expectations are evolving.

Recent research° highlights the growing importance of entertainment to independent living residents. Seventy percent of those surveyed use streaming services, up 5% since 2024. Meanwhile, 44% pay for additional channels or programming beyond their community’s basic TV service, and average monthly streaming spending has reached $42—up 20% since 2024.

For senior living owners and operators, the question is: Does the community’s entertainment experience keep pace with what residents expect?

Residents expect choice

Today’s residents have more control over what they watch than ever before, with access to live TV, streaming, movies, news, sports and other programming tailored to their interests.

That expectation doesn’t disappear when they move into an independent living community.

Offering a variety of programming can help communities accommodate diverse resident preferences. One resident may want the evening news, another may follow a favorite sports team, while another may prefer movies, documentaries or streaming content.

The takeaway isn’t necessarily to offer more entertainment, but to provide the variety and flexibility residents expect.

Entertainment is part of the resident experience

Entertainment can also extend beyond individual residences. Shared programming can give residents opportunities to gather around major sporting events, movies, news and other content of common interest.

And while entertainment is often viewed as a source of enjoyment, residents recognize broader value in the content they consume. Fifty-seven percent of those surveyed believe the content they consume is important to their personal well-being, highlighting the multiple roles entertainment can play in residents’ daily lives.

For community owners and operators, that makes entertainment worth considering as part of the broader resident experience.

Rethinking the entertainment experience with DIRECTV FOR BUSINESS®

As resident expectations evolve, senior living communities have an opportunity to rethink their approach to entertainment. The goal isn’t simply to provide television; it’s to provide choice, variety and access to programming that reflects how today’s residents consume content.

DIRECTV FOR BUSINESS® helps senior living communities deliver entertainment experiences designed for independent living environments, with programming that can serve residents in their homes and shared community spaces.

Visit DIRECTV FOR BUSINESS® online to learn more.

°Source: Link-age Connect Survey conducted April 2026 with 504 U.S. Independent Living respondents. ©2026 DIRECTV. DIRECTV and all other DIRECTV marks are trademarks of DIRECTV, LLC.  All other marks are the property of their respective owners.