Advanced Television

Analyst: SVoD stacking grows in US and Europe

January 20, 2020

In the US the proportion of TV viewers with three or more SVoD subscriptions has grown 6.6 percentage points since Q3 2018, while in Europe growth has been almost the same (+6.3 points), according to Ampere Analysis.

Around two in five Internet respondents in the US have three or more SVoD subscriptions. In Europe the proportion is around one in five.

In most countries, SVoD and pay-TV is the most common service combination among Internet users, as consumers seek to supplement their cable or satellite TV services with online video catalogues. The proportions vary considerably though, ranging from 56 per cent of respondents who mix pay TV and SVoD in The Netherlands, South Africa and the US to just 13 per cent in Japan, where free TV and SVoD combinations are more common.

Australia, Italy and Japan are distinct in having few households which combine pay TV and SVoD. As FTA TV services are widespread in these markets, it is unsurprising that SVoD-only is the most common paid service among consumers, who use it in combination with a strong free-to-air TV offer.

The proportion of consumers who are using SVoD and FTA TV – with no pay-TV at all – has been increasing in Western European markets and the US. Italy and the UK have the highest proportions of SVoD and Free TV consumers. France, the US and Denmark have the lowest.

Minal Modha, Consumer Research Lead at Ampere Analysis, said: “While cord-cutting is a major issue in the USA, it has been a less significant challenge for the industry in many international markets. However, our research shows that consumers in many global markets are increasingly combining SVoD products with a free broadcast TV service, placing future a growth obstacle in the path of incumbent pay TV service providers.”

Categories: Articles, Consumer Behaviour, FTA, Pay TV, Premium, Research, VOD