2.4% of internet users play fortnite. Is that a large percentage to you?

That's the same percentage as Linux users, and just yesterday I closed my Box.com membership because the don't have a Linux client "due to low demand".

It pretty much is imho because it's just this one game and there are more.

Kids who play fortnite don't have any decision authority when it comes to whether or not to use cable or satellite.

Ehhh, not sure about this. If you're a parent and your kid is begging you to get faster internet, you might listen to them a little bit. If their marketing can get those kids to do that, then that might be a successful campaign.

I agree in principle that kids can influence parental purchasing, and that marketing is geared to take advantage of that. But the effect appears to be most effective for items that are exciting and tangible objects in front of the child; think checkout aisle candy, not “boring” adult things like finance and bills.

Here’s an interesting parallel; how much say does any child have in the cell phone plan that a family uses? Probably damn close to 0. That’s a decision that the parents make on their own, and dictate the rules of usage to their children. I suspect that internet service will remain that way as well.

Sample of things kids who play Fortnite have (indirect) decision authority on:

fortnite v-bucks default gift for birthdays, displacing the movie gift cards

racking up hundreds of dollars worth of v-bucks per year

getting family to buy a Samsumg S10+ so they can reap the associated "skin" to their Fortnite account

graphics cards upgrades

(expensive) gaming mice and other gear pushed by youtubers

general merch like toys

The huge amounts of marketing aimed at kids would suggest kids on average have a lot of influence on decisions in their household

For candy and toys, sure. But there are a wide range of goods and services where the child has 0 say. Cars, homes, and even cell phone companies never market to kids in order to influence the parents, implying that children have no meaningful impact in these areas.

Now these services advertise to adults with children, such as being able to call your kids whenever with the unlimited cell phone plan, but that’s still advertising to the adult, not the child.