As most states are reopened after extended government stay-at-home orders, lockdown viewer’s streaming habits don’t seem to be returning to pre-pandemic numbers. The world’s leading video technology platform Brightcove recently published a report showing that OTT streaming continues to dominate entertainment consumption even after restrictions have been lifted.
The Q2 report shows that media consumption of entertainment and news content rose 40% this quarter, up from 23% in Q1. Viewing trends year over year usually dip in the opposite direction as the nicer weather gets people outside more during the spring and summer months of Q2. But the COVID-19 pandemic obviously created a unique situation this year causing people to spend even more time indoors at home. The first half of 2020 is up 30% overall in viewership compared to 2019.
“The streaming industry is exploding faster than we’ve ever seen before. While much can be attributed to COVID-19 keeping people indoors, stay-at-home orders do not account for the entirety of recent growth,” said Jim O’Neill, Principal Analyst and Author of Brightcove’s Global Video Index. “There has been significant growth within the video industry, leading to more video content streaming as a whole; OTT services like Netflix added nearly 26 million viewers and Disney+ topped 54.5 million subscribers in Q2.”
Other key findings from the study show connected TV’s are making a comeback as the preferred screen for streaming video. CTV views jumped 428% in the first half of the year compared to a year ago. Viewers watch content four times as long on CTVs than on smartphones, followed by tablets (200%), and computers (30%). But each device saw a surge in streaming upwards of 80% in April.
“2020 has become video’s evolutionary moment, and streaming entertainment video content is one area where we will continue to see growth,” said Jeff Ray, Brightcove CEO. “The crisis has impacted people at an emotional and financial level, making the need for human connection through video content more crucial than ever. We’re seeing this play out with the rise of streaming services subscriptions, indicating that the future of entertainment consumption lies in connected and mobile devices – linear television could soon be of the past.”
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