Streaming Surge Slows Post Lockdowns

While time spent streaming content continues to rise across the globe, year-on-year growth slowed in May and June following the peaks recorded in April at the height of the COVID-19 shutdown, according to Conviva.

Streaming and social media “experienced colossal peaks and treacherous valleys in the first half of 2020,” Conviva says in its Q2 2020 State of Streaming report.

In the first half, streaming was up 63 percent year-over-year, with the 81 percent surge in April slowing to 58 percent and 49 percent in May and June, respectively.

Europe led the world in growth for time spent streaming, up 174 percent in April alone and 134 percent in Q2 overall, followed by North America at 57 percent, South America at 35 percent, Africa at 30 percent and Asia up just 2 percent.

“In nearly all regions, April represented the peak of streaming growth, in accordance with many shelter-in-place orders across the globe,” the report says. “In April, viewers spent 73 percent more time streaming in North America, 45 percent more in Africa, 38 percent more in South America, and 12 percent more in Asia as compared to the previous April. These statistics have since normalized.”

Global ad demand was heavily impacted by the pandemic, particularly with the lack of live sports—ad attempts dropped 28 percent from Q1 to Q2.

Conviva also found that smart TV usage has surged, rising 239 percent year-on-year, with a 15 percent share of viewing time. Connected TV devices like Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV and Chromecast saw a 61 percent increase and had a 48 percent share of global viewing time in Q2. Mobile was up 22 percent, but its share fell from 13 percent to 10 percent.

“While the world faces uncertainty, one thing is for certain: streaming and social media are at the forefront of innovation at a time when viewers are starved for entertainment,” the report concludes. “We saw when staying home meant tuning in to stream and checking in on social—to get informed, pass the time, and stay connected. We saw when a dearth of sports was threatening not only leagues and teams on social media, but rightsholders and publishers relying on streaming advertising. We saw how advertising for streaming just didn’t work, with quality issues as well as ad loads and irrelevant ads that turned viewers away. And we will be watching for the next chapter as new services gain their footholds, people increasingly return to their daily lives, sports leagues return with empty stadiums but hungry fans, and streaming advertising comes into its own. 2020 has been full of surprises, certainly with more to come.”