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Variety and Ease Most Important Qualities in a Streaming Service

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Nielsen asked people what they look for in a streaming video service, and variety of content (57%), ease of use (56%), and access to movies (52%) top the list.

The least important features are access to live sports (35%) and the availability of a skinny bundle (28%).

Those results come from Nielsen's Q3 2018 Total Audience Report. They show that, for the moment, people prioritize a wide content selection over niche offerings, and many aren't looking for a pay TV replacement.

News 1For non-streamers with no intention of signing up, the biggest reason they're not looking to go online is that they're already satisfied with their current cable, satellite, or fibre service (36%). The next most popular reasons are that streaming services aren't worth the expense (33%) and not being interested in the content (26%).

Nielsen asked people how they get recommendations for new shows or movies to stream. The most popular answer was that people stream shows they were already watching on broadcast (67%). After that came recommendations from family and friends (66%), and browsing through streaming service sites or apps (59%).

If Nielsen's results are accurate, people spent less time—three minutes less—per day watching video than they did the year before. In Q3 2018, the average total viewing time was 5 hours 24 minutes, down 3 minutes from Q3 2017. However, the amount spent watching internet-connected TV rose from 40 minutes to 47 minutes.

Nielsen's digital data comes from both panel and census measurements. For more on how people consume video and audio, download the full report for free (registration required).

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