A new Nielson report reveals that viewers are becoming fatigued with the sheer number of streaming services available, each offering a different selection of TV series and films.
However, most consumers don't intend to cut down on their subscriptions, according to the study as reported by THR. Research included a survey of streaming subscribers, nearly half of whom expressed feeling overwhelmed by the platforms available, including time-tested behemoths like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Hulu as well as relative newcomers and lesser-known services. The titles that these streamers provide total over 800,000, so viewers who want specific series or movies can find it difficult to wade through them.
Nielsen Media Research is a firm that measures media viewership, best known for its Nielsen ratings, an audience measurement system which is widely used in networks' decisions about the cancellation or renewal of television shows.
Brian Fuhrer, Nielsen's SVP of Product Strategy, explained how the new data reflects how the streaming industry has been changing. "We’ve entered the next phase of streaming, based on the trends we have been detailing about streaming over the past few years," he said in a statement. "We’ve moved from infancy into adolescence, and all the complexities that one would expect at that point."
There are multiple aspects to the way consumers' expectations of streaming content have altered, Fuhrer says: "It’s not just that streaming is increasing year over year. Now consumers want access simplified and the explosion of services has renewed discussions around bundling and aggregation. Ultimately, these challenges signal an opportunity as the industry harnesses streaming for long-term business growth."
Although subscribers may not be pleased about paying for multiple services so that they can have access to all of the media they want, there's no sign that they're ready to cancel their subscriptions. Responses to Nielsen's survey showed that 93% of streaming platform customers intend to keep all of the services they currently have, or even begin subscribing to additional ones.
One hypothetical option that seemed to interest the survey's respondents is a streaming bundle, which would include multiple platforms under a single fee. As the consumers would still want to choose which streamers were part of the bundle, however, that solution might carry the same complications as the current system with content spread out over too many services.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter