UK viewers watched the same amount of content through Broadcaster Video-on-Demand (BVoD) services and SVoD services during Q3 2020, according to research by Ampere Analysis.
The analysts found SVoD viewing has remained high in the UK even after lockdown was lifted, with 64 per cent of internet users using an SVoD service in the previous month.
That means that in Q3 SVoD audiences are now neck-and-neck with BVoD. Ampere attributes this to the launch of platforms such as Disney Plus, which it suggests parents may have used to keep children entertained during lockdown.
Among existing services, Amazon Prime was a big winner and saw its monthly active users grow from 18 per cent of internet users in Q1 to 21 per cent in Q3.
Ampere Analysis Consumer Research Lead, Minal Modha said: “As consumers spend more time at home while restrictions on some out-of-home activities persist, they are prompted to watch greater amounts of content and those platforms with larger catalogues will be the ones to benefit most. Disney Plus also launched at a fortuitous time as many children were off school and parents signed up to help keep them entertained. Both of these factors have contributed to high usage of SVoD platforms in Q3.”
