Frankfurt, 16 December 2019. Netflix is more popular among viewers than Amazon Prime Video: Nearly one in five viewers in Germany uses the streaming service known for series like “Stranger Things” and “Money Heist”. Amazon Prime Video is far behind, drawing only 15 percent of viewers. However, YouTube is well ahead of both these paid video-on-demand services: 51% of German-speaking residents aged 14 and up who live in TV households have used the video portal in the last four weeks. These are the findings of the current study “TV Platform 2019-II” conducted by Kantar on behalf of AGF Videoforschung.
Twice a year, the AGF-commissioned study surveys devices in use, TV reception, pay TV data and video usage via the Internet. This study, which was conducted for the first time in 2010, has a sophisticated design and is based on a large sample size of around 2,500 representatively selected respondents who are questioned in person for each wave. More than that, the interviewers visit the households where TV programs are turned on to underpin the validity of the statements made by the respondents. The study is primarily used for weighting the TV Panel, but also delivers many valuable insights into video usage in Germany and allows for long-term comparisons over a period of almost ten years.
The latest study findings show strong usage of not only US streaming services, but also the online platforms of TV broadcasters. Thirty percent of respondents said they use one of these services at least once a month. The younger the audience, the more often they use the streaming services of TV broadcasters in addition to conventional TV. Thirty nine percent of 14-29 year-olds stated that they visited at least one of the platforms of the TV broadcasters in the last four weeks. “Regardless of age, people are looking for relevant content on any device that happens to be available to them. Video content providers should take note and make their content available on all distribution channels”, said Kerstin Niederauer-Kopf, Chairperson of the Executive Management of AGF Videoforschung.
Joyn, the joint venture of Discovery and ProSiebenSat.1 that was launched in June, was included in the platform study questions for the first time. Over a period of only three months, it became one of the top five paid or commercial content platforms. At 2.2 percent, this streaming platform is now tied with TVNow, the streaming platform of Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland, behind Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Dazn.
Streaming reaches all age groups
Streaming is increasingly being used by all target groups as the selection and appeal of these platforms continue to grow. For example, 58 percent of all German-speaking residents in TV households use online video services at least once a month. As could be expected, 87 percent of 14-to-29 year-olds use online video services, as compared to only 72 percent of 30-to-49 year-olds. But even among those aged over 65, one in five say they have used streaming services in the last four weeks.
Usage of paid video-on-demand services has increased substantially since 2015: Whereas only 7 percent of respondents in the 2015-I study said they had used a VoD service in the last three months, this percentage had risen to 32 percent in the 2019-II study.
Big screen instead of small screen
Online videos are most often watched on smartphones. Fifty two percent of respondents say they have watched clips on their mobile phone at least once a month. Forty three percent use PCs or laptops to watch online videos. But the big screen has become an extremely popular device in the meantime: One in three people watch online videos on TV sets. “This ultimately means that only the distribution channel has changed for users, unnoticed by the market. The usage situation is the same as conventional TV usage. This trend proves that we need to rethink the meaning of the term ‘television’”, said Kerstin Niederauer-Kopf.
TV sets are becoming more sophisticated and multi-functional. Nineteen percent of respondents say they own an ultra-HD/4K TV set. This percentage is likely to rise further in the 2019 Christmas shopping system.
Brief summary of methodology
Name of study: TV Platform
Frequency: Twice a year
Institute: Kantar
Survey method: Computer-aided personal interviews (CAPIs) and visits to households
Sample: Representative random sample with two waves, each approx. n = 2500 per year
Fieldwork period: Wave 2019 I: 01/03-24/04/2019
Wave 2019 II: 26/08-13/10/2019
Population: German-speaking residents aged 14 and up in TV households or TV households in Germany with a German-speaking main income earner or persons aged 3 and up in TV households with a German-speaking main income earner
About AGF Videoforschung GmbH (www.agf.de)
AGF Videoforschung GmbH specializes in impartial video research. AGF continuously tracks the use of video content in Germany on a quantitative basis and analyzes the data collected. It invests many millions of euros per year to continuously refine its instruments in order to deliver reliable data on the use of video content to the market on a daily basis. AGF consults closely with all market partners, including licensed TV stations, advertisers and media agencies.
Press contact:
Juliane Paperlein
Head of Corporate Communication | AGF Videoforschung GmbH |
T +49 69 955 260-55 |