RESPONSE Magazine - December 2017

PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y. – A new report from The NPD Group says consumers averaged one hour more of viewing content in August 2017 than they did a year earlier – and the number of overall streaming viewers was up eight percentage points year-over-year.

A third of Americans still buy and rent videos, in addition to using streaming services like Netflix and You Tube, The NPD Group found in its annual Entertainment Trends in America report. The research firm surveyed more than 7,000 members of its U.S. online panel about their entertainment consumption during August 2017.

That’s an uptick from last year, when 26 percent of those surveyed said they bought and rented movies in addition to using streaming services. While there are plenty of movies and shows on subscription services like Netflix, most new titles hit DVD and online-video stores like i Tunes and Amazon Video beforehand, and some older films and shows are only available for purchase or rental.

The study suggests that U.S. consumers are simply consuming more content than they have in the past, with the new streaming options joining traditional TV content as well as other forms of media.

“SVOD had the highest year-over-
year increase, with almost half the pop-
ulation streaming video, but purchasing
downloadable content is also gaining
traction,” said Graham Gee, president
of video entertainment for The NPD
Group. “When it comes to entertain-
ment, few consumers limit themselves
to one single option. Going out to the
movies, watching cable TV, and viewing
DVDs at home are still very popular ac-
tivities, even as subscriptions to stream-
ing services rise.”