Report: Streaming Services Increase Overall TV Viewing, Reinvigorate Live TV

NEW ROCHELLE: A new survey from Horowitz Research finds that streaming services have been catalysts for increased television viewing and may even drive viewership back to live TV.

The Multiplatform Content and Services, Wave 2 2015 survey reveals that a third (31 percent) of OTT viewers report watching more TV overall compared to five years ago. Also among OTT viewers, 31 percent say they began watching past episodes of some shows online and then switched to viewing the current season live.

One-third (31 percent) of OTT viewers say that the last time they watched TV, they turned to Netflix first, narrowly trailing live TV (34 percent). Among 18- to 34-year-olds, streaming services far eclipse live TV as the first stop for TV content. More than half (54 percent) of 18- to 34-year-old OTT viewers report turning to a streaming service—Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Prime—first, with 39 percent saying they first go to Netflix. Only 24 percent of that same group say they go to live TV first.

Adriana Waterston, Horowitz’s senior VP of insights and strategy, said, “For consumers, it’s about doing what they’ve always done—discovering and watching great content—but doing it in better, more curated ways, whether they are binge-watching a show from three years ago or keeping up with a current season show.  The business model will need to evolve to keep up with what the consumer has come to expect of the TV experience.”