Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
If you’re curious about Americans’ streaming habits, Nielsen‘s got you covered. Today, the ratings agency released its Q3 2018 Total Audience Report, which provides an in-depth look at the streaming behavior of U.S. viewers. According to Nielsen, Americans spend over 10 hours a day on their phones, watching TV, and searching the internet, a figure that’s remained (horrifyingly) steady since 2017’s Q3 report. More striking are individual streaming trends that have emerged in the past year: Nielsen reports that a whopping 67% of users will re-watch titles once they hit streaming, and an additional 48% of users find shows and movies through recommendations from the platforms themselves. If you’re in that 48%, you can thank the algorithm for that Stranger Things suggestion.
Here are some key highlights from Nielsen’s most recent audience report:
- U.S. adults spend an average of 10 hours and 30 minutes per day (!) connected to media. The vast majority of that time is spent watching live TV (3 hours and 44 minutes); smartphone use comes in second (2:31), followed by radio use at 1:44.
- Of that 10 hours and 30 minutes, 5 hours and 24 minutes of each day are spent watching videos (on a TV set, computer, smartphone, and/or tablet). This number is down slightly from Q3 2017, during which American users watched 5 hours and 27 minutes of video. Reclaim that three minutes, people!
- A variety of factors influence which content people choose to stream, but recommendations from family and friends are one of the strongest. 66% of users choose a title based on recommendations from family and friends, so if you’re really gung-ho about Catastrophe Season 4, make sure to tell your friends. But that being said, old habits die hard: 67% of users will re-watch a show they’ve already seen on broadcast media once it’s available to stream.
- Those algorithms are working, folks. 59% of users are influenced by simply browsing the Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime library, while 48% find something to stream based on the platform’s recommendations.
- When it comes to the streaming services themselves, the majority of users find a platform’s offerings to be its most important attribute — 57% percent of Americans rank “variety of content available” as a service’s most important feature. However, “easy to use technology” is a close second at 56%, and “access to movies” (52%) and “accessibility/search of desired content” (51%) are popular attributes, too.
- While less popular, many viewers are interested in niche content, as well. 43% of viewers want access to local programming, 38% are looking for specific network titles, and 35% want to be able to access live sports.
- One of the largest jumps between Q3 2017 and 2018 came in the category of smart TVs: the number of U.S. viewers with smart TVs rose to 41% this year, up 9% from September 2017. According to Nielsen, internet-enabled smart TVs can now be found in 68% of U.S. households.
- Where there are smart TVs, there’s streaming. SVOD services such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime can now be found in 67% of television households, up from 61% in 2017.
For more streaming insights from Nielsen, check out their Q3 2018 Total Audience Report.
