40% Prefer to Stream Movies and TV Shows, 26% Prefer to Download
Globally, streaming is the most popular way to obtain digital movies and TV shows, with 40.3 percent preferring that method. Another 26.1 percent prefer downloading video to watch offline, while 13.7 percent would rather rent or purchase a DVD.
That data comes from Limelight's State of Digital Downloads 2017 report which explores how behaviors and attitudes are shifting in these digital days. All data comes from a survey of 500 adults each in the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, India, Japan, and South Korea.
Consumers in the U.S. are far more interested in streaming video than the global average, with 58.4 percent preferring that method and only 9.6 percent choosing to download video and watch it offline. The offline option is far more popular in India and South Korea.
Looking at digital content hassles, U.S. consumers say their biggest frustration is when downloaded material doesn't work (36.4 percent). The next biggest percent (25.2) said they don’t find downloads frustrating.
In the U.S., the mobile phone is the most popular way to download digital content, followed by the computer, tablet, e-book reader, and video game console.
On balance, people download TV shows and movies slightly less often than they did last year: 59.4 percent do so the same amount, 22.9 percent do so less often, and 17.7 percent do so more often.
"People are increasingly moving to live streaming versus downloading content," notes Dan Carney, senior vice president of network operations at Limelight. "As internet speeds are continuously getting faster they can reliably stream videos despite the high bandwidth requirements. In addition, to keep pace with the most up-to-the-minute news, people read online news rather than download newspapers that quickly become out of date."
For more results, download The State of Digital Downloads 2017 for free (no registration required).
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