The entertainment ecosystem has expanded and today, TV is just one of many kinds of content people consume, as explored by Hub Intel’s “Battle Royale – Wave 5” study. The company reported that consumers in general use just as many non-video entertainment providers (6.6) as they do premium video (6.3). And young people (under 35) use more non-video sources (9.1) than video (7.4).
71% of surveyed users included high speed internet in their “ideal bundle”, and 52% chose a mobile phone plan. Another 40% chose a live TV bundle, forming a new iteration of cable’s “triple play”. Moreover, 65% chose Netflix, the only streaming platform to make it into the top 5, while 43% chose a streaming music subscription. Respondents were more likely to choose streaming music for their bundle than major streaming platforms like Hulu, Disney+ and Max.
Respondents were most likely to choose a bundle offered by Netflix (15%) or Amazon (12%) – two to three times more than those who chose other “big tech” companies like Apple or Google. Meanwhile, 34% chose one of the telco or cable aggregators (AT&T, Verizon, Xfinity or Spectrum).
“In the past, content like video, gaming, or music were entirely separate. Today, they are all consumed on the same screens and devices, via subscriptions that compete for the same pie of disposable time and money,” said Jon Giegengack, Hub Principal and Founder. “This research underscores the opportunity for established aggregators like Amazon or AT&T to attract subs with bundles that cross content categories. But it also shows that consumers would readily accept Netflix as an aggregator based entirely on the strength of its brand -- something that bodes well for their expansion into live TV and gaming.”