Netflix may be the leader of the over-the-top (OTT) business, but the medium itself is now becoming more powerful than its dominant player. To be sure, Netflix still holds a commanding lead among
streaming services. But the competition is closing in, said comScore in a
just-released report.As
of December, more than 49 million homes — representing about 53% of WiFi-connected households in the U.S. — used at least one OTT service. Many of those homes opted for Netflix, which has
found its way into three-quarters of those homes.
But YouTube is no slouch either, according to comScore. Its reach for streaming is 53%, with Amazon at 33% and Hulu at 17%. ComScore said
about 11 streaming services now reach more than one million homes per month.
These users are avid viewers. They watch OTT video about 2.2 hours a day over an average of 19 days per month.
Interestingly, much of this viewing takes place during TV prime-time hours, suggesting that streaming video is indeed finding ways to replace traditional viewing.
Even though Netflix is in the
most homes, Dish’s live TV service, Sling TV, logs more viewing time, with about 47 viewing hours each month.
The research firm points out that even though 75% of OTT homes watch
Netflix, the other 25% are only watching competing services, indicating there’s plenty of room for those services to keep growing.