M+E Connections

TiVo: Streaming Viewership Hits New Heights

During the first quarter of the year, satisfaction among consumers with their streaming services grew, as did the amount watched, thanks to stay-at-home orders, according to a new TiVo’s Video Trends Report.

Based on a survey of more than 4,500 viewers, the report found that pay TV subscribers use an average of seven total video services, compared to only five for broadband-only subscribers, with 46 percent of respondents expressing satisfaction with their free/AVOD services, up 11 percent from the fourth quarter of 2019.

Respondents said they engage with recommended content 40 percent of the time across both streaming and pay TV platforms, and overall, there was a 58 percent increase in viewership overall during the early weeks of COVID-related lockdowns.

“Even as the COVID-19 pandemic topples economies across the globe, streaming services are thriving. Quarantines and self-distancing have isolated people inside their own homes, leaving many in need of entertainment and glued to their television screens,” the report reads. “While it’s too early to tell exactly how much video trends have been impacted, it is clear that viewers are watching more video services across the board — from live TV to subscription streaming.”

Streaming app viewership hit new highs, with weekday viewing numbers looking more like weekend viewing numbers, and weekend viewing data surpassing holiday averages, according to TiVo. “By the first week of April, on TiVo devices, Amazon weekend viewership had seen around an 80 percent increase compared to pre-COVID levels,” the report read. “HBO Go viewing increased by 80 percent, Hulu by 36 percent and Netflix by 33 percent over the same period. The world may be on lockdown, but the vast video market is flying high.”

Nearly 65 percent of pay TV customers and more than 70 percent of broadband-only customers said they were satisfied or very satisfied with their service, and so far in 2020, nearly 75 percent of respondents reported using at least one subscription streaming, up from less than 70 percent in 2019.

“The ‘Age of COVID-19’ is impacting genre preferences as well — and it’s not just people watching more news,” the report read. “Since lockdowns began, viewers are watching more crime and comedy. And as families are stuck at home with their children, kids programming has skyrocketed — with a growth jump nearly twice as large as trends in other dominant
genres.”

To access the full report, click here.