YouGov: iPlayer “Treading Water” Compared to Streaming Rivals

LONDON: New research from YouGov suggests that the BBC iPlayer is “treading water,” while its competitors Amazon and Netflix are “starting to make waves” in the streaming landscape.

Currently, iPlayer has more users than either Amazon and Netflix. Its overall scores among its own customers are also above its commercial rivals. However, premium on-demand services are making inroads into the BBC’s territory. YouGov’s latest BrandIndex buzz rankings for the most positively talked about brands shows that while iPlayer maintains its position in third place, Netflix is a new entry at seven.

YouGov has found that across perceptions of value, satisfaction and quality, iPlayer’s service saw declines among all ages in 2016, while, for the most part, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video saw improvements.

Data shows that iPlayer viewers are more likely to be heavy watchers of live TV, while Amazon Prime Video and Netflix customers are generally lighter in this category. While 46 percent of iPlayer viewers watch less than ten hours of live television a week, this number rises to 52 percent and 53 percent of Amazon Prime Video and Netflix customers, respectively. However, 48 percent of iPlayer viewers watch more than ten hours a week, compared to the respective 39 percent and 37 percent of Amazon’s and Netflix’s customers.

“Although there is no absolute way of predicting these things, it would be a surprise over the coming years if the tide turned and people started watching more live TV again and less on demand,” YouGov stated. “And this is the crux of the BBC’s issue and why it has made a strategic decision to stand toe-to-toe with Amazon and Netflix when it comes to iPlayer and the way it delivers content.

“One mitigating factor, of course, is that of impending change to the license fee, and how it is implemented. Currently, it is possible for those without a valid license to access iPlayer services. Should this change, the BBC may need to think of a new pricing structure for those that predominantly stream programs, in order to maintain viewership levels.

“Given the rise in subscriptions to the commercial services and their improvements in public perception on things like quality, value and satisfaction, it may be that we see 2016 as the year when on-demand services moved firmly to the mainstream,” YouGov concluded. “The question now is whether 2017 is the year the mainstream BBC can reverse this momentum and give Netflix and Amazon customers a service worth switching over for more regularly.”