Streaming far surpasses VOD as the go-to source for on demand content

Is the Future of TV Mobile? Latest Research from Horowitz Suggests TV Set is Still King

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. — The rise of streaming is being driven largely by the increase of streaming to the TV set, reveals the latest data from Horowitz Research’s State of Pay TV, OTT and SVOD study released to clients last week. According to the study, in 2013 TV viewers reported streaming just 5% of their TV viewing to a TV set and 8% to a computer, cell phone, tablet, or other handheld device. Today, TV viewers report spending about a quarter (23%) of their TV viewing time streaming to a TV set, while computer and mobile viewing has risen to a more modest—though not negligible—14% share of viewing.

The Horowitz study reveals that despite MVPDs’ investments in VOD platforms, streaming far surpasses VOD as the go-to source for on demand content, with streaming claiming 37% of weekly viewing and VOD claiming just 5%. As streaming continues to grow, live TV and DVR viewing are becoming a smaller piece of the viewing pie, with live TV’s viewing share falling from 58% in 2013 to 44% in 2017, and DVR’s share declining from 15% to 9% (view chart).

Increased availability of content is contributing to audiences’ growing love of TV: on average, TV content viewers report watching 5.2 hours of TV content daily, up from 4.5 hours daily in 2013.

“Though streaming and the emerging digital multichannel market is largely perceived as a threat to the traditional TV industry, the reality is that it has helped reinvigorate audiences’ love of TV, no small thanks to the flexibility streaming allows,” says Stephanie Wong, Horowitz’s director of marketing and strategy. “Rediscovering old favorites, binging on the high quality original content developed by streaming services, and catching up on hot shows they may have missed when they premiered has created a richer, more complete TV experience. And while mobile is undoubtedly important when it comes to long-form TV content, the TV set remains the cornerstone of the TV experience.”

State of Pay TV, OTT and SVOD 2017 is the 24th annual edition of Horowitz’s syndicated consumer survey that tracks the market for multichannel, broadband, and mobile content, services, and technology. The study was conducted by Horowitz Research in February 2017 as an online/phone survey among 2,505 TV content viewers who are heads of household 18+ and covers, among other topics:

• Attitudes and behaviors around pay TV services, including multichannel and SVOD;
• Intentions to upgrade, downgrade, or cancel multichannel and SVOD services;
• Incidence and share of viewing by different methods, including live, DVR, VOD, streamed to a TV set, streamed to a cell phone, and more;
• Valued features of TV service, including bundling, voice activated remote control, centralized search across TV and other SVOD services;
• Satisfaction with multichannel subscription and streaming experience.

The full report provides analysis by total TV content viewers 18+, as well as key demographic and viewer segments, including cord-cutters, multichannel subscribers, family households, by age, gender, SVOD subscribers, and more. Additional analyses by millennials, Hispanic, Black, and Asian audiences will be published under separate cover.