Survey: Streamers Now Access Two-Third of Their Video Online

A majority (two out of three) adults stream some video over the internet and, of those, two out of three now stream more video online than they watch over traditional broadcast or MVPDs, up from 57% who did so in 2018.

That is according to a new Horowitz report, FOCUS OTT & SVOD 2019, based on a survey conducted in January/February 2019 among 1,600-1,619 viewers of TV content.

The percentage of viewers who stream content at least weekly has more than quadrupled to 65% from only 15% in 2010.

Related: Viewers Nearly as Likely to Go Online First for TV

The study found that those who still subscribe to pay TV are more likely to do their online video viewing on a variety of devices, or what Horowitz calls content omnivores. "These viewers are streaming not as a replacement of traditional TV platforms, but to complement them by expanding their viewing opportunities," the company says.

On average, streamers use 2.4 services for video streaming, with Netflix the most popular. Horowitz says it has been hearing from consumers that, not surprisingly, they would prefer to pay one price for one service to access all the content they want, when they want it, and all in one place, but on any screen, or effectively and MVPD but with the
"convenience, control, portability, flexibility, and value" they now associate with streaming.

The survey found that the TV set continues to be the screen of choice, with 73% saying they do at least some streaming to the TV (mainly via an Amazon Firestick, Roku or a smart TV app), followed by 55% for computers, 48% for smart phones, and 30% for tablets.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.