Time spent streaming exceeds linear television

In the latest edition of his 'Behind the Screens' analysis series, Samsung Ads reveals how greater ease of discovery and app “browsing” are driving new behaviors on Smart TVs, marking the end of a decade of ad-free TV streaming experience.

During the first half of last year, more than 7.1 billion applications were opened on Samsung Smart TVs in five European countries (Germany, France, Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom), indicating a growing shift towards app-based television viewing.

The rise of streaming, both exclusive and combined with linear viewing, shows no signs of slowing down: the 95% of Samsung television viewers already use streaming. In September 2023 alone, exclusive streaming users spent an average of 85 hours per month per television.

More and more users of Samsung televisions in Spain spend most of their television time streaming, surpassing linear television and thus the 52% of their time is spent streaming, while 48% do it linearly, reaching 800 million streaming sessions.

On Samsung devices, viewers are creatures of habit when it comes to app usage. If we look strictly at app-based television, 16% of devices use the same app every day or every time they turn on the television. The average device regularly uses two subscription video on demand (SVOD) services, an advertising video on demand service (AVOD) and a broadcast video on demand service (BVOD).

With the rapid advancement of streaming-based applications, users have diversified the places where they find their content as they fight discovery paralysis and content overload. Viewers are in discovery mode: 29% of sessions switch between an average of three different apps in a single session. However, instinct seems to prevail: more than half (65%) also show this changing behavior, but end up returning to the first application.

FAST grows while SVOD stagnates

Regarding the total viewing time, the Advertising-supported streaming (AVOD + FAST) saw 22% year-on-year growth, while the SVOD services, only did so by 3%.

The reach of AVOD in Spain is almost as high as that of SVOD, with 85% compared to 86%. SVOD dominates total time spent at 56% but has seen slower growth compared to other types of video on demand at 3%, suggesting less room for maneuver.

Some age differences are also observed: Millennials watch an average of 1 hour and 34 minutes of streaming content per day, followed by Generation Z, with 1 hour and 26 minutes, compared to just over an hour for Boomers (1:02).

Prime time television was dominated by linear television, BVOD y SVOD, which highlights its importance in the country's homes. However, our behavior with AVOD was surprisingly different. Daily peak times for SVOD and linear were around 8-10 p.m., while AVOD peaked at 12-8 p.m. and was used consistently throughout the day, at which time the trio was less prominent. Gamers also dominated the weekend night, recording a 32% increase in SVOD during the weekend vs. weekdays.

This juxtaposition was also observed when comparing weekly usage. SVOD and Gaming reached their peak over the weekend, highlighting the trend in Spain of binge-watching series and video games, a period during which BVOD and AVOD plummeted.

No ads or paid ads

One of the biggest changes of the last 12 months has been the introduction of ads on subscription platforms, as services rethink their strategies to appeal to a broader set of more cost-conscious viewers. At the end of last year, Netflix announced that its advertising-supported subscription level already had 15 million subscribers, 30% of the total, while other paid streaming services revealed that advertising-supported plans are already proving more lucrative per user than pure subscription plans.

Rising production costs, writers' strikes and consumer restrictions have also taken their toll on the streaming industry, with several major companies looking to cut billions in costs.

Matt Bryan, director de Analytics & Insights de Samsung Ads Europe, ha declarado que “la televisión sigue siendo televisión y a los espectadores les encanta disfrutar de grandes contenidos, pero la forma de acceder a ellos ha cambiado drásticamente. Con el SVOD alcanzando la madurez, el visionado basado en aplicaciones dicta ahora la forma en que tomamos decisiones sobre qué contenido ver, y AVOD y FAST están viendo un cambio significativo aquí también. El reto para las aplicaciones consiste ahora en atraer a nuevos espectadores y evitar la fuga. Aprovechar información clave como ésta será lo que diferencie a las aplicaciones y refuerce sus capacidades en un mercado tan saturado y competitivo”.

Alex Hole, vice president and general manager of Samsung Electronics Europe, said: "In this (re)emerging advertising-supported era, it is clear that cost and content prevail. After a decade of ad-free streaming, it is encouraging to see how platforms are focused on attracting the largest possible audience, catering to all budgets and satisfying all wants and needs. With the rise of television applications, behavior is increasingly complex within television, so it is important to take these audiences into account. growing.”