STREAMING ACCOUNTS FOR 25% OF TOTAL TV USAGE IN THE US

Nielsen’s latest Total Audience Report indicates that streaming now accounts for a quarter of total television minutes viewed as of this year’s second quarter. US consumers watched an average of 142.5 billion weekly streaming minutes in Q2, versus 81.7 million hours in the second quarter of 2019. The figure represents a spike from streaming’s 19% share of TV minutes in last year’s fourth quarter.

The statistics are based on data from Nielsen’s Streaming Meter, a subset of nearly 1,000 streaming-capable homes from the company’s national TV panel. Netflix is still leading the streaming market share in Q2, with 34%, followed by YouTube at 20%, Hulu at 11%, Amazon at 8%, and Disney+ — just eight months old — already at 4%. Notably, those 55 and older now account for 26% of streaming TV minutes viewed, an increase of 19% from a year ago.

The number of subscription-based streaming services that consumers are willing to pay for also continued to grow. Among those who subscribe to at least one paid subscription video service, 25% reported adding more such services, 73% said the number was unchanged, and 2% reported reducing the number. Hispanics were significantly more likely than average to report adding new paid services at 40%, while Asian-Americans were least likely to do so, at 19%. “With the number of new streaming entities coming to market and the demand for both original and legacy content growing by the day, it will be interesting to see how the streaming market evolves in the coming months,” the report commented.

The latest report also offers a detailed look at media consumption behaviors relating to the new work-at-home dynamics. For example, the results show all adults and those who were already working from home prior to COVID-19 spending about 10.5 to nearly 11 hours per day using TV and digital, while those newly working from home report somewhat lower usage. The data concurs with the notion that individuals of all ages are accepting of the new streaming era. “COVID-19 has catapulted streaming to become the present and future of content creation,” Peter Katsingris, Nielsen’s senior vice President, Audience Insights said.