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Online video is more popular than ever with the average global viewer watching nearly eight hours (seven hours, 55 minutes) per week. With consumers homebound during the pandemic, 46 percent of UK viewers signed up to additional streaming services and video viewing increased 14 percent in the past year. This is according to the “State of Online Video 2020,” a report commissioned by Limelight Networks, Inc., to understand consumer perceptions and behaviors around online video.
In the UK, viewers spend 7 hours 24 minutes watching online video on average per week in 2020. The report showed that YouTube continues to dominate as the platform of choice for 52 percent of UK viewers seeking user generated content.
Top findings from the report include:
- Staying home drove streaming subscriptions. Nearly half (46 percent) of people in the UK subscribed to a new streaming service in the last six months, with the primary reason being that people are spending more time at home due to COVID-19 (43 percent).The second largest driver of new subscription purchases (24 percent) is availability of new content.
- Consumers are price cautious. Over half (54 percent) of UK consumers will cancel a streaming subscription due to high prices. More than a third (36 percent) admit to sharing login information or using someone else’s account. Password sharing is highest in Indonesia, with 58 percent of people admitting to sharing credentials.
- User-generated content viewing surges. Watching user-generated content has doubled over the past year to an average of four hours per week. YouTube dominates as the most-preferred platform for watching user-generated content (52 percent), followed by Facebook (19 percent).
- Delays are a dealbreaker. Most UK viewers (65 percent) say they would be more likely to stream a live event if it is not delayed from live broadcast.
“Online video demand has clearly accelerated around the world this year, especially with so many people looking for entertainment, information and communication as they have spent more time at home due to COVID-19,” said Nigel Burmeister, Vice President at Limelight Networks.
“Our research shows that with the rise in viewers and subscriptions, it is critical that content providers have the right combination of the content consumers want, the infrastructure to scale to meet demand and technology to give them the best possible online experiences.”
The “State of Online Video” 2020 report is based on responses from 5,000 consumers in France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States, ages 18 and older, who watch one hour or more of online video content each week.
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