[Guide] The Silent Shift: Decoding Muting Habits & Caption Culture in the US and Europe

When Sound is Optional, but Attention Isn’t

Our research shows that 74% of European consumers and 66% of U.S. consumers keep their phones on silent while watching video in public, reshaping how content is experienced.

Viewing habits aren’t universal. Europe is now mute-first, while in the US, captions have become a key driver of engagement. As behaviors diverge, your video strategies must adapt or risk being ignored. This guide breaks down what’s driving these shifts and how to respond.

What you’ll learn: 

• Where mute and captions dominate
  Understand regional viewing habits and adapt your creative accordingly.
  
  
• Why captions drive engagement
  Learn how text-based overlays boost performance, not just accessibility.
  
  
• How context shapes viewing behavior
  Understand when, where, and on what devices audiences watch so your content resonates.
  
  
• Turning silent viewing into engagement
  Explore interactive and visually-driven creative that captures attention without sound.
  
  
• Scaling globally while resonating locally
  Build campaigns that work across markets using dynamic overlays, captions, and context-aware creative.