Conviva, a company that compiles streaming analytics, released its State of Streaming report for the second quarter of 2022. The report points to the continued fact that streaming is taking hold as millions around the globe continue to cut the cord; 500 million unique viewers are watching over 200 billion streams every year, but where? Who is benefitting the most?
Streaming Is Up Around the Globe
Streaming time rose 14% globally in Q2 of 2022. The largest year-over-year increase occurred in Asia, where streaming time increased a whopping 90% according to Conviva. Latin America also showed a huge increase in streaming time, rising by 70%. Even the North American market, which is fast reaching a streaming saturation point, saw a 5% increase in streaming time in Q2.
Roku Reigns Supreme
Roku was the most-used device to stream on big screens (which includes connected TVs, smart TVs, and gaming consoles), holding 30.5% of viewing time. The Linux set-top box saw the biggest increase in viewing time across the globe at 94%, although it makes up only 4.4% of the total global viewing time across devices.
If its new software update is successful, Roku’s market share may grow even more.
Regional Variety
Roku’s massive lead in streaming time is due to its ubiquitous presence in the North American market, where its share is even higher. However, Roku is not even in the top five devices used for streaming in any other global market.
Bitrates Are up, But so Are Loading Times
Every device saw improvements in bitrate as compared to the previous quarter, as more streaming services offer higher definition content. However, every device except for Playstation and Roku saw increases in loading times as a result of higher bitrate programming, according to Conviva’s numbers.
Android Closes the Gap
In years past, Apple’s iPhone has been the number one device for mobile streaming across the globe. However, Android is closing fast, grabbing a 33.2% market share versus iPhone’s 35.8%. Android bested iPhone in year-over-year streaming viewing hours growing by 9%.