It looks like the pandemic-induced spike in streaming is here to stay. Conviva released its State of Streaming report for Q1 2021 and the data shows that overall streaming viewing time is up 36% for the first part of this year. Viewing time grew by 18% in North America which is a solid number, but nothing compared to the skyrocketing figures across the globe. Europe saw 122% growth, Africa 149%, and South America experienced a staggering 240% increase in streaming time.
The report also gives insight into what people are watching on, and the preferred way is hands down on a big screen. Connected TVs, smart TVs, and gaming consoles are dominating the landscape with big screens carrying 73% share of Q1 streaming viewing globally. The most popular ones are Roku and Amazon Fire TV, although both saw a slight decline from last year (Roku down 2.9% and Amazon Fire TV 3.6%). Roku is holding on to its leading position with 30% share of global big screen viewing time, however its popularity is mainly focused in North America. Roku claims 37% share in Q1 2021 in North America, but only 8% share of the big screen in its second largest market, Europe.
“In every region in the world, streaming viewership is growing, representing a global shift in the way people consume content,” said Bill Demas, CEO, Conviva. “This rapidly expanding international audience has created an enormous opportunity for content developers, device manufacturers and advertisers to engage new audiences as the brands and publishers who understand exactly how, when and where people are streaming, will inevitably triumph.”