Streaming Daily Engagement Sees Uptick

NPAW’s H1 2023 Video Streaming Industry Report found a surge in daily engagement per user on streaming platforms, reversing the downward trend that began in 2021.

NPAW tracked daily playtime per user and service. In the first half, the average user recorded 53.3 minutes per platform, a 4 percent gain on the same period last year. In North America engagement was up 41 percent to 80 minutes per user per platform, while in Europe it was up 3 percent to 70 minutes. In LatAm usage was up 21 percent to 53 minutes, in the Middle East it was up 6 percent to 53 minutes and in the Pacific 3 percent to a whopping 93 minutes. Only Asia recorded a decline, of 12 percent to 30 minutes.

NPAW says the return to gains in user engagement could reflect some degree of consolidation as streamers focus on a select few platforms, as well as an overall increase in streaming consumption.

VOD consumers overwhelmingly prefer episodic content, NPAW found, accounting for 60 percent of playtime versus 25 percent for movies.

Linear TV also saw a boost in daily playtime per user and service, up 3 percent to 38 minutes, with gains in Europe (2 percent to 65 minutes), LatAm (15 percent to 28 minutes) and the Middle East (4 percent to 38 minutes) offsetting the 23 percent decline in North America to 42 minutes. Linear engagement per user also fell in Asia, by 6 percent to 21 minutes.

NPAW also reported gains in sports streaming, with year-over-year increases in total plays, playtime and unique users for events like Wimbledon and the NBA Finals.

“The first half of 2023 marked a potential turning point for the global video streaming industry as daily user engagement per streaming service began to increase for the first time since 2021,” said Ferran G. Vilaró, CEO and co-founder of NPAW. “Access to deep, actionable data insights is crucial for navigating these changes and determining whether engagement will continue to increase.”