Research: SVoD preferred for new show viewing
February 8, 2023
By Colin Mann
According to research from analyst firm Aluma, if a show is available simultaneously on both an SVoD streaming service and a live TV channel – for example, on both NBC’s broadcast channel and Peacock – adult viewers are more than twice as likely to prefer a paid streaming service over a regular live TV channel.
When age is isolated, the variances are even more striking. The younger the adult, the more likely they are to prefer to view a new show on an SVoD service versus a traditional TV channel.
Thirty-seven per cent of SVoD buyers ages 65 and older prefer to watch a new show on a traditional live TV channel, 50 per cent more than prefer to watch it on a live TV channel (28 per cent). By contrast, SVoD buyers ages 55-64 are 1.4 times more likely to prefer a paid streaming service over a live TV channel, a rate that increases as age declines. Viewers 18-24 years of age are 5.3 times more likely to prefer SVoD over live TV channels when viewing a new show.
“The only SVoD cohort that prefers live TV channels over paid streaming is the 65 and older segment. That is telling,” notes Michael Greeson, founder and chief analyst at Aluma. “All others prefer streaming over linear, even the 55-64 segment, who were mostly middle-aged adults when Netflix launched in 2007. Yet they too prefer streaming over live linear TV channels.”
Survey results identified the reasons most age cohorts prefer subscription streaming services to live TV channels:
- It has less advertising,
- They can watch shows at their convenience versus when scheduled,
- It’s where they watch shows most of the time, and
- It’s easier to find interesting content to watch.
While older generations of buyers placed more weight than other cohorts on SVoD having less advertising, younger buyers were more likely to emphasise that subscription streaming is where they watch most shows and that it’s easier to search and find interesting content to watch.
“The results of our study are pretty straightforward,” adds Greeson. “When networks consider where to debut programming to best reach younger adults, an SVoD-first strategy will work best.”