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Netflix subscriber growth: estimates vs actual, — Source: Netflix. Netflix ascribes the erosion of domestic subscriber growth to increased competition from a growing pool of competitors, with Apple and Disney joining Amazon and Hulu. We might note that , however, was the best year by some measure in terms of Netflix subscriber growth. Netflix subscriber growth: year-on-year comparisons, — Source: Statista. We might note, however, that Amazon and Hulu especially are growing at faster rate than Netflix. Apple and Disney already owners of Hulu pose a further threat to Netflix here, as increasing stretched viewers will be forced to choose between streaming apps.
US Netflix user numbers vs other streaming services, Source: eMarketer. We can expect Apple and Disney to figure in future iterations of this research. Netflix share of paid digital video subscribers in the US. The junior vote looks set to be key in this battle. Of course, the proof is in the pudding. Finally, it is lowest among those who continue to subscribe to traditional TV, by far the biggest demographic.
These Netflix stats date back to March Source: ComScore. Viewers can, of course, combine multiple OTT viewing sources with already existing cable TV packages. At some point, however, finances will inevitably become stretched, and tough decisions will have to be made. It ranks fourth among older viewers, though it is the only non-television network in the top five.
Most indispensable viewing sources in the US, by age. Source: Marketing Charts. This will certainly be worrying reading to providers of traditional cable and satellite television. Indeed, we are seeing a gradual decline in traditional TV watching in the US, as viewers turn to the freedom and choice of a multitude of OTT video providers. It was reported that Netflix actually overtook cable TV providers in the US as far back as — though this is not taking satellite TV into account.
By it is estimated that households that pay for some form of traditional television will declined to Source : eMarketer. The total number of cord-cutter households is set to rise from This would take the total number of cord-cutter households to nearly 35 million, up from US cord-cutter households, — Perhaps more worrying for traditional television providers is a survey showing that Americans find streaming content more entertaining than cable TV.
What is perhaps more surprising is the fact that two-third of cable TV subscribers find streaming more entertaining. No doubt there is a good deal of crossover between the two constituencies, so many of those cable TV subscribers will also have access to Netflix or an equivalent service.
Nevertheless, if cable is unable to appeal on the strength of content then long-term survival does not look assured by any means. Do US viewers find steaming content or cable TV more entertaining? The Netflix revolution is by no means limited to the US.
New Zealand Official Yearbook
In the UK, the number of subscribers to streaming services In absolute terms this comes to If we look at it in terms of households, then pay-TV services still come out on top, numbering In terms of subscriptions, however, SVODs come out on top, with Netflix is comfortably in the lead, with It is thought its tactic of livestreaming Premier League matches has contributed to its growth in this market. Source: Ofcom. Comparitech estimates that after the US, the largest constituency of Netflix users can be found in Australia, in which there was an estimated A study from Rory Morgan dating back to May gives us a more conservative The other nations that make up the rest of the non-US top are spread out over the world.
We have a fair crop of European nations, led by the UK Brazil Japan 4. Top countries: Netflix users exc. US , December , millions. Data Source: Comparitech.
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Of course, some countries have an edge by sheer dint of their populations — so where can find the highest Netflix penetration rates? The US led the way back then, with two-thirds of digital video viewers logging into Netflix at least once a month. Northern and Western Europe were well represented in the top, with Australia the only country from the Asia-Pacific region featuring. Top 10 Netflix markets by penetration rate, Higher competition from local providers, and a lack of localised content are among the challenges faced in the region.
Netflix stats on regional penetration published on Statista confirm this, putting Asia Pacific last of all regions. Netflix penetration by region, vs It is unclear how penetration is being measured here — these figures all certainly seem on the higher side. What we do know is that both regions are seeing rapid growth in Netflix subscribers.
If these growth rates were maintained, the increases touted above might be plausible, even if the penetration figures themselves seem high — though this may be a quirk of how they are measured. Netflix Japan reportedly boasts a larger catalogue than Netflix US. Among the challenges faced is the continued popularity of free-to-air channels, popular with older consumers.
In India, the market is not yet mature, with low-cost traditional TV still dominant and competition from the free-to-use YouTube. This includes a reported slate of 22 films and unscripted content.
LGBT in New Zealand
Netflix users and penetration in India, — Well, like many other US-based and international apps Netflix is blocked in China, meaning the market is left to domestic players. These are led by Baidu-owned iQiyi, which in crossed the million subscriber threshold. Netflix partnered with iQiyi in to get a foothold in the market, however the partnership was deemed to be a failure, with Chinese viewers not taking a shine to Netflix content. Reliable recent data on Netflix demographics is not easy to find. Unfortunately this data dates all the way back to , comparing that year with Though the time period is relatively short, some changes occurred.
Perhaps most notably, the Netflix user base is more evenly split between male and female viewers: a ratio in favour of female viewers , compared with reported up to The median age of Netflix users now seems to fall in the bracket, whereas in the study, youth dominated, giving a median in the bracket.
Love & Sex
The proportion of Netflix users fell as you went up in age bracket in the study. The under bracket was by far the biggest in , and the over 65 the smallest, with a simple slope in between. The study on the other hand, describes an arc, with the proportion of users more in line with the proportion of the general populace that falls into each respective age bracket — representative of the deep market penetration of Netflix.
Source: CivicScience. Everyone from high school graduates to graduate degree holders loves to tune in to a few episodes of Orange is the New Black.
Source: CivicSciences. In terms of income, we once again see proportions in line with the wider population. As we might expect, penetration is slightly deeper as we climb income brackets. This differs from , where Netflix users were more likely to fall into lower income brackets. No doubt this is closely connected with the lower average age. While these traditional demographic trends are illustrative, they are not useful in predicting what sort of content any given user might be interested in. We put that in the garbage heap. Netflix is driven instead by globally-collected data.
Users are categorised not by who they are on paper, but by what they like. The Netflix algorithm is tuned to help you find something to watch within 90 seconds — the period after which they figure you will give up and go elsewhere. Indeed, Buzzfeed also reports that the algorithm is even tuned to serve you up different thumbnails according to your previous interests — with multiple options even for the same film depending on your viewing history.
Netflix has claimed this is purely based on viewing history. Viewing history is taken to be a far more useful measure than critical success. Viewers can give content a thumbs up or down to help ensure closer matches where the algorithm has recommended something less to their taste. Geographical location is another factor which has been deemed a poor indicator of taste. Netflix has been noted for its focus on international content , with various shows in different languages proving popular in non-native markets.
Indeed, it has even been credited for bringing subtitled content to the notorious reluctant US.
That said, it also runs a comprehensive dubbing operation also — and defaults to dubs , which it says increase viewership. Netflix currently supports over 20 languages. After a glut of applications, Hermes was shut down , with Netflix deciding to keep faith with its 10 or so localisation vendors. To give an idea of the scale of the operation. Before we end this section, we are going to look at one final demographic trend that, no doubt, will matter to Netflix — and that is what percentage of Netflix users are subscribers?
Subscriber numbers are, of course, easier to ascertain, whereas for user numbers we have to rely on surveys.