Free or Paid — Which Streamers Have the Momentum?
Free or Paid — Which Streamers Have the Momentum?
A new survey from BB Media has insights on which global audiences stream which type of content, and how often.
The global push and pull between free streaming services and paid subscription platforms is fascinating to observe. Viewers clearly value the content they get on streamers like Netflix, Hulu and Prime Video, but the price of subscriptions keeps climbing, and free streamers are becoming an increasingly important part of the overall entertainment picture for many. A new study from BB Media is helping to highlight where viewers are watching subscription and free streamers the most, and how often.
Key Details:
- Globally, viewers are watching subscription video services more often than free ones.
- The Asia-Pacific region sees the most daily usage of free video services.
- Netflix dominates among subscription services, while Tubi and Pluto are the most-used free streamers.
The BB Media survey shows that around the world, audiences love to stream. Sixty percent of viewers in all regions watch one or two TV episodes via streaming on weekdays, and the average jumps to four episodes on the weekend.
There are some differences, as well as similarities in how viewers consume their streaming quota for the week, however. Starting with the similarities, viewers in every region spend more hours per week on average watching subscription video services than they do free ones. The biggest difference is in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, where audiences stream 10 more hours of subscription video per week. In the U.S. and Canada (UCAN), the difference is nine hours per week in favor of paid services.
This isn’t to suggest that free streaming services are struggling to find an audience. Across all regions, 80% of viewers use at least one free streamer. Additionally, the region with the biggest disparity between free and subscription services in terms of weekly viewing time actually sees more viewers watch free streamers daily. In the APAC region, 36% of viewers watch a free streamer every day, as opposed to 29% who watch subscription services.
In fact, every region around the world sees the same amount or more viewers watch free services every day than watch subscription services. This shows that while viewers may spend more time watching when they log into subscription services, on a day-to-day basis they’re more likely to flip on a free streamer.
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Which Streamers Are Most Popular?
As should come as no surprise, the BB Media study found that Netflix was the most dominant streamer globally in terms of time spent. Viewers in every region spend six to seven hours per week with Netflix. There is some variety in terms of global use of free services; Tubi is the most-used option in the U.S. and Canada, where viewers watch around four hours per week. Pluto TV is more used in Europe, the Middle East and Africa as well as Latin America. The APAC territories stream a locally available service called Zee5 the most.
With the price of subscription streaming continuing to climb with no end in sight, free streaming services are a popular option to fill in crucial viewing hours every day. Despite the frequency with which free streamers are used, however, BB Media’s survey shows that audiences are still spending much more time overall with subscription streamers.
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Netflix
Netflix is a leading subscription-based video streaming service that offers on-demand access to an extensive library of over 3,000 movies, 2,000+ TV shows, and a growing collection of acclaimed Netflix originals. Renowned for producing groundbreaking content, Netflix has become a cultural powerhouse with hit originals like “Stranger Things,” “Wednesday,” “Squid Game,” “The Crown,” “Tiger King,” “Bridgerton,” “The Witcher,” and “Black Mirror.”