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Analysis: UK SVoD continues to soar post-lockdown

September 24, 2020

Findings from research firm Ampere Analysis’s Consumer Barometer suggest that UK SVoD audiences are now level with Broadcaster Video on Demand (BVoD) for the first time as all age groups report a rise in On Demand viewing time.

Ampere’s consumer data for Q3 2020 shows that SVoD viewing remains high in the UK even after lockdown was lifted, with 64 per cent of Internet users using an SVoD service in the previous month.

This means that in Q3, SVoD audiences are now neck-and-neck with BVoD.

The launch of platforms such as Disney+ will have been a contributor to this, particularly as parents looked to keep children entertained during lockdown. Among existing services, Amazon Prime was a big winner and saw its monthly active users grow from 18 per cent of Internet users in Q1 to 21 per cent in Q3.

“As consumers spend more time at home while restrictions on some out-of-home activities persist, they are prompted to watch greater amounts of content and those platforms with larger catalogues will be the ones to benefit most,” notes Minal Modha, Ampere Analysis Consumer Research Lead. “Disney+ also launched at a fortuitous time as many children were off school and parents signed up  to help keep them entertained. Both of these factors have contributed to high usage of SVoD platforms in Q3.

Biggest rise in time with SVoD among 45-54s

  • All age groups in the UK said they spent more time watching SVoD content in Q3 2020.
  • When compared to time spent in Q3 2019, the sharpest rise was in the 45-54 years age group, who almost doubled their viewing time, but there were strong increases for the under 35s too.
  • 18 to 24-year olds spent the most time watching SVoD per day at 1 hour 45 minutes. The oldest age group in the survey, 55-64-year olds, spend the least at 20 minutes.

Analysis by Ampere shows how the time spent viewing SVoD content builds each year by age group. Each age group is currently one year behind the previous in terms of time spent. So, in Q3 2019, 18-24-year olds said they watched SVoD for 1 hour 20 a day, and in Q3 2020, that is almost the same time claimed by the next group up, 25-34-year olds. Meanwhile, the time spent by 18-24-year olds in 2020 is up to 1 hour 45 minutes per day.

“This is particularly interesting because it gives an indication of how much time each age group may spend watching SVoD in a year’s time, and help SVoD services in their strategy to produce and acquire content for both those older audiences who are increasing their viewing time, but also for that core young demographic who are continuing to consume more of their TV via SVoD,” advises Moda.

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