Consumers are overwhelmed by streaming options, but aren't cutting back
The vastness of content choices on streaming platforms is becoming overwhelming for U.S. consumers, though new data suggests that they have no plans to cut back.
Credit: Glenn Carstens-Peters/Unsplash
Nearly half of all streaming service users in the U.S. -- 46% -- say they feel overwhelmed by the amount of programming available, according to a new "State of Play" report by analytics firm Nielsen.
The numbers don't lie when it comes to choices. Nielsen says that there are 817,000 unique programs across various streaming services, including TV series, movies, specials, and more. That's a 26.5% increase of nearly 171,000 titles since the end of 2019.
Despite that, consumer appetite for content is still going strong. According to the survey, 72% of Americans say that they love their user experience with video streaming services. A majority -- 93% -- said they either plan to expand the services they use or make no changes to their existing subscriptions.
The increase in streaming service choices has also driven a rise in time spent watching content. Consumption of streaming content reached 169.4 billion minutes in February 2022, an 18% year-over-year increase. Streaming accounted for 28% of total TV usage in the past 10 months.
With the amount of choices, users want an option that makes finding and viewing content from different services easier. 64% of respondents said they'd be interested in a bundled service that allows them to access different platforms, but only if they were able to choose which ones.
The survey was based on a sample of 1,394 U.S. adults aged 18 and over. It was conducted in English between Dec. 2021 and January 2022 via online survey.
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Credit: Glenn Carstens-Peters/Unsplash
Nearly half of all streaming service users in the U.S. -- 46% -- say they feel overwhelmed by the amount of programming available, according to a new "State of Play" report by analytics firm Nielsen.
The numbers don't lie when it comes to choices. Nielsen says that there are 817,000 unique programs across various streaming services, including TV series, movies, specials, and more. That's a 26.5% increase of nearly 171,000 titles since the end of 2019.
Despite that, consumer appetite for content is still going strong. According to the survey, 72% of Americans say that they love their user experience with video streaming services. A majority -- 93% -- said they either plan to expand the services they use or make no changes to their existing subscriptions.
The increase in streaming service choices has also driven a rise in time spent watching content. Consumption of streaming content reached 169.4 billion minutes in February 2022, an 18% year-over-year increase. Streaming accounted for 28% of total TV usage in the past 10 months.
With the amount of choices, users want an option that makes finding and viewing content from different services easier. 64% of respondents said they'd be interested in a bundled service that allows them to access different platforms, but only if they were able to choose which ones.
The survey was based on a sample of 1,394 U.S. adults aged 18 and over. It was conducted in English between Dec. 2021 and January 2022 via online survey.
Read on AppleInsider
Comments
one of many great Wright quotes. The point being, be careful how you spend your time when you could be doing other things. That said, having streaming services is a good thing. But it’s only worth so much time and money.
Several years back I decided to stop being bothered with stacks of discs and set-up a Plex server - still have the discs, we just don't have to sort through them or look at piles of them. We have a very diverse selection of movies & television shows (DVD/Blu-Ray/4K) on the server and do not need to worry about something being removed from our "service" or paying any monthly fees. Although both the implementation cost and ongoing operational cost (electricity) is a consideration
But yes, go outside and enjoy the beauty of nature, read a book, or play a board game with your friends/family!
We fired the telephone company (which could also provide slow DSL) because they just never had time to fix our line. The noise was so loud it was unusable. If one traces the money back, the culprit is basically AT&T.
When true Verizon 5G gets to us, the cable company that we get internet service from will be gone too.
The USA is getting ripped off by the fee schedules as compared to other countries. We had an apartment in the UK and there was a choice of many providers at different price points even though there was only one set of wires coming into the home.
Some of these streamers simply cannot survive. Others are bound to consolidate through mergers and sales (HBO and Discovery+ and CNN+, for example). Then we have unknowns, like Peacock. It has 9 million paid subscribers, but 7 more million as part of cable TV subs. They are planning on investing billions to make it work. They better, or they aren't going to make it. I subscribed a few months ago to watch Yellowstone, but I've barely used it. We'll see if I keep it. I don't think Apple TV+ is going anywhere. They've got deep pockets, a low price and a growing library of award winning content.
We're at the point where we are approaching saturation. Some smaller services like Fox Nation are growing quickly, but still very small. Middling services like AMC+ have decent numbers, but don't seem to be growing much. Then there is the impact on the big boys...Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney+. Netflix's price increases and growing dependence on original content put it at risk. Gone are the days where if you wanted to stream a show, it was almost always found there. Amazon Prime is raising prices too, but that includes Prime shipping, so I doubt there will be much of a negative impact. Disney+ (excluding ESPN+) was a juggernaut, but has slowed and may slow much further with how they've stepped in it, politically. My understanding is they've had a lot of cancelations since their stance on the FL bill and the leaked zoom call where execs openly discussed adding "queerness" everywhere they can (as well as a "not-so-secret gay agenda"). Disney is probably big enough and receptive enough to investors that it will quickly turn it around.
If I had an "Easy" button, I would press it!
We also have YouTube TV after we canned 20+ years of DirecTV, but find we watch about 2 channels (plus locals), so trying to figure that one out. I don't want to lose locals, but they aren't worth $60/mo either.
Oh, and for those who judge, we DO get outside and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine.
LOL
This model will survive. With the "https" world, it's a worldwide market of something like 5 billion people. I think services will only need hundreds of thousands of subscribers at $100/yr to sustain it. Out of 5 billion people, there are likely 100k+ paying subscribers for virtually anything. So, the big streamers may consolidate, but there are going to be streaming packages for virtually everything that can squeak in between free Youtube and the big streamer. Some IP can most certainly survive on its own. Star Trek most certainly can survive as its own streaming package. Sports definitely.