Working from home binge: OTT viewing up during the pandemic

A quarter of anglophone Canadian over-the-top (OTT) service subscribers opted in to a new platform during the COVID-19 pandemic, while a majority of subscribers increased their usage, according to a new survey from Media Technology Monitor (MTM), a project of CBC/Radio-Canada. Twenty five per cent of OTT subscribers said they added another streaming service subscription during the COVID-19 outbreak, with Generation Z subscribers, students, those who identify as a visible minority and those with children under 18 identified as most likely to have paid for a new service. The “unique circumstances” of the COVID-19 outbreak and resulting lockdown meant anglophone OTT subscribers sought out more content than what their existing subscription offered, the report said. Sixty per cent of respondents with an OTT subscription say they have more than one service, with 31 per cent reporting two subscriptions, and 15 per cent saying they had three. Just under 60 per cent of OTT subscribers say they used their services more (42 per cent) or significantly more (17 per cent) during the pandemic, while 36 per cent recorded no change. A combined five per cent of subscribers say they used their service less or significantly less. In a second report, analysing the change in media habits during COVID-19, MTM said the perceived change in usage for OTT services was greater than that of a range of other media during the pandemic including accessing new websites and apps, or using social media. The data is based on the spring survey of 4,019 anglophone and francophone Canadians, while the first survey was based purely on the responses of 2,004 Anglophones. The spring survey of anglophone Canadians also showed a slight increase in OTT subscribers, rising from 76 per cent of respondents in fall 2019 to 77 per cent. Sixty seven per cent of respondents had a Netflix Inc. subscription, down slightly from 68 per cent in fall 2019, while Amazon.com Inc. continued its growth, rising from 28 per cent of respondents in fall 2019, to 34 per cent in spring 2020. Subscriptions to BCE Inc.’s Crave fell slightly to 18 per cent, down from 19 per cent last fall, while 20 per cent of respondents have already subscribed to Walt Disney Co.’s Disney+ streaming service since its launch in November last year. Five per cent of respondents have a subscription to Apple Inc.’s TV+, while sports OTT subscriptions fell from eight per cent of respondents last fall, to three per cent. MTM’s anglophone spring report has a margin of error of 2.2 per cent, while its report on media habits during COVID-19 had a margin of error of 1.6 per cent.

Working from home binge: OTT viewing up during the pandemic

Brief | July 28, 2020

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Working from home binge: OTT viewing up during the pandemic

Brief | July 28, 2020

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