Advanced Television

Survey: Bad experiences drive video service cancellation

December 10, 2018

Despite the surging worldwide growth and popularity of mobile streaming content and apps, viewers remain frustrated by their experiences, according to a new 10-country survey by Penthera, an international software company that develops and deploys software products that facilitate the delivery of video content for global video content providers.

The UK had the highest percentage of mobile video streamers in Europe, at 89 per cent, but it also had the highest percentage of viewers who outright cancel their subscriptions after a frustrating experience (11 per cent).

Globally, 89 per cent of the respondents stream TV shows and movies on their mobile devices. Unfortunately, 88 per cent experience some level of frustration while streaming video, stemming from the video taking too long to start up, buffering, annoying advertisements, increased monthly data costs, and public WiFi issues.

These persistent frustrations could spell bad news for streaming video providers, because the cause viewers to close their apps and try again later (47 per cent), explore other apps for their streaming needs (25 per cent) and completely stop using of an app (20 per cent) — even if the issue is not the app or video provider’s fault.

Other key findings include:

  • 48 per cent of panellists stream video on their mobile device daily – 70 per cent of Brazilians are daily streamers
  • Buffering is the biggest frustration viewers experience around the world (51 per cent reported dealing with it)
  • 68 per cent of panellists have used download functionality to combat playback issues
  • It’s all about family for Colombian streamers – 22 per cent download mobile video so their kids can watch
  • 71 per cent of respondents would pay a monthly premium for download capabilities, with 19 per cent willing to pay $5 or more per month

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