Streaming Services Increase Overall TV Viewing and Reinvigorate Live TV

The latest findings from Horowitz Research’s Multiplatform Content and Services, Wave 2 2015 survey reveal that streaming services, like Netflix and Hulu, have been catalysts for increased television viewing: A third (31%) of over-the-top (OTT) viewers report watching more TV overall compared to five years ago. The data show that streaming services may even drive viewership back to live TV. Among OTT viewers, 31% say they began watching past episodes of some shows online and then switched to viewing the current season live.

The data also highlight the increasingly seamless cross-platform TV experience.  For many viewers, streaming services—particularly Netflix—are the go-to (i.e., turn-to-first) destination for watching TV. One-third (31%) of OTT viewers say that the last time they watched TV, they turned to Netflix first, narrowly trailing live TV (34%). Among 18-34 year olds, streaming services far eclipse live TV as the first stop for TV content. More than half (54%) of 18-34 year-old OTT viewers report turning to a streaming service—Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime—first, with 39% saying they first go to Netflix. Only 24% of 18-34 year-old OTT viewers say they go to live TV first.   

Adriana Waterston, Horowitz’s senior vice president of insights and strategy, says, “For consumers, it’s about doing what they’ve always done—discovering and watching great content—but doing it in better, more curated ways, whether they are binge-watching a show from three years ago or keeping up with a current season show.  The business model will need to evolve to keep up with what the consumer has come to expect of the TV experience.”

Multiplatform Content and Services, Wave 2 is a syndicated survey of OTT viewers, covering traditional and new viewing habits, show discovery, and attitudes and preferences around advertising in online content. Horowitz conducted the study in October 2015 among 1509 OTT viewers 18+ (spend at least 1% of their weekly viewing time streaming TV and video content to their TVs, phones, and handheld devices).

 

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