More than 8 in 10 American households have access to at least one on-demand TV service, and the proliferation of these content sources is having a dramatic effect on TV viewing behavior, according to a report from Hub Entertainment Research. In its latest analysis of TV content sources, Hub found that for the first time more TV viewers turn to an on-demand source than to live TV for their TV entertainment.
To be fair, live TV remains the single most-used “default” TV source, as a plurality (39%) of respondents said it’s the first thing they turn on when they want to watch TV. However, live TV’s influence has greatly receded, down from being the default source for 47% of viewers last year and 50% in 2013. (These figures are derived from surveys of people who have broadband at home and watch at least 5 hours of TV per week.)
In combination, live TV and over-the-air are the default source of programming for only a minority (44%) of TV viewers this year, down from 54% just a couple of years ago.
By comparison, on-demand sources – including Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, DVR, and video-on-demand – combine to be the default source for 48% of viewers.
It’s not just live TV that’s declining: DVR use has also plunged. Over the past 5 years the percentage of viewers who turn to their DVR first has declined from 21% to 14%.
Which source is picking up the slack? Why Netflix, of course… Indeed, fully 22% of TV viewers said they turn on Netflix first when they go to watch TV, up from 19% last year, 15% in 2016, and 13% in 2013.
Moreover, the percentage of TV viewers who use Netflix (65%) at all (i.e. not just as their default) is now approaching the proportion who watch live TV (76%). Read the rest at MarketingCharts.
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