Advanced Television

Survey: Online behaviour determines SVoD use

February 19, 2018

Results from a UK consumer survey carried out by Kagan, a media research group within S&P Global Market Intelligence, indicate that it is digital entertainment behaviour, rather than demographics, which best identifies the profiles of current and future users of online subscription video on demand, or SVoD, services. An individual’s digital entertainment behaviour encompasses the overall use of online activities, as well as how frequently digital entertainment activities are carried out.

The online survey consisted of 1,001 adult Internet users in the UK and was completed during fourth quarter 2017.

Among the survey’s findings:

  • Among those who access an online catch-up TV service at least once per week (frequent user), 59 per cent are also frequent users of online subscription video services.
  • Overall, over three-quarters (76 per cent) of frequent catch-up TV users also subscribe to an online video service.
  • Among those who never view previously broadcast TV programmes online, only 19 per cent have an SVoD subscription.
  • The survey found 73 per cent of TV Everywhere (TVE) users are also frequent users of SVoD services. [TVE users are those accessing online pay TV Operator’s VoD library]
  • Users who do not access pay-TV operator video content online tend also not to have an SVoD subs – 29 per cent
  • Make-up of SVoD users tend to skew towards the younger populace, at 50 per cent under 40, while 30 per cent SVoD users are adults at 50+ – a contrast to overall Internet population where the 50+ group make up 45 per cent of users – but as the survey found, demographics aren’t the largest factor in shaping the SVoD user population
  • Transactional video services that offer online video rentals and purchases show an even stronger correlation with SVoD use. The survey shows that 86 per cent of adults who rent online videos at least once a week, and 52 per cent of those who are infrequent renters (less than once per week) are also frequent SVoD users. Only 38 per cent of Internet adults that never rent videos online report using an SVoD service.
  • The two key behaviours facilitating SVoD adoption appear to be comfort with online video viewing and a willingness to pay for supplemental video content.
  • The UK has one of the most developed digital entertainment markets in Europe. For example, Kagan’s Consumer Insights survey found that three-quarters of Internet adults watch previously broadcast TV programmes using online catch-up TV services, such as BBC iPlayer.
  • In addition, the survey found that the majority (56 per cent) of internet households subscribe to at least one online SVoD service (e.g. Netflix or Amazon’s Prime Video) and half (50 per cent) report accessing online video content from their pay-TV service provider (TV Everywhere) over the past three months.
  • Close to half (46 per cent) of Internet adults surveyed also use online transactional video services (rentals/purchases).

Categories: Articles, Broadcast, Catch Up, Consumer Behaviour, Markets, OTT, OTT, Premium, Research, VOD