The first half of 2025 brought substantial improvements in streaming quality metrics worldwide, even as overall engagement saw modest declines, according to NPAW’s "H1 2025 Video Streaming Industry Report." The study, which compared January–June 2025 data with the same period in 2024, found significant gains in average bitrate, join times, and buffer ratios across both VoD and Linear TV, driven by continued investment in infrastructure from OTT platforms, telco providers, and broadcasters.
For VoD, global quality metrics improved in most regions, with average bitrate rising 9%, join times falling 13%, and buffer ratio improving by 6%. LATAM delivered standout results, cutting buffering by 33% and showing gains across all KPIs, while North America also recorded improvements in every metric. However, global VoD engagement dipped, with average daily playtime per user falling 10% year-on-year to 45 minutes, and titles per user per day down 7% to 2.5. The steepest declines came from the Pacific region, where playtime dropped 25% and titles per user fell 28%.
Device usage patterns remained consistent with prior years, with TVs accounting for 60% of VoD viewing time and set-top boxes and consoles also driving extended playtime. TVs showed improvements across all four quality KPIs, while tablets registered sharp declines in performance.
Linear TV posted stable global engagement, averaging 36 minutes of daily viewing per user, up 2% in Q1 compared to 2024 but down 2% in Q2. Europe led with over 60 minutes per day, while the Middle East posted the largest year-on-year gains at 13%. Quality improvements for Linear TV were notable, with a 16% reduction in join times and a 9% increase in average bitrate. Device preferences mirrored VoD, with TVs and set-top boxes jointly holding 87% of viewing share.
Industry-wide, telcos led quality gains with a 35% improvement in buffer ratio for Linear TV, while broadcasters and OTT platforms also registered positive shifts in most KPIs. Ferran G. Vilaró, CEO and Co-Founder of NPAW, noted, “We notice the wider adoption of Smart TVs and set-top boxes as the devices of choice for viewers, especially when it comes to long format content. Quality metrics on these devices, by and large, are greatly improved over H1 2024. The majority of viewers are choosing to consume content on the large screen.”
While streaming services worldwide are delivering a better technical experience, the drop in engagement—particularly in key markets such as the Pacific and North America—highlights ongoing challenges in sustaining viewer attention. The data suggests that the industry’s next growth phase will hinge not just on quality, but on content strategies and regional engagement tactics.
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