• by Alex Weprin , November 22, 2017

As more and more Americans subscribe to streaming services and over-the-top video services, the consumption of that content is rising accordingly, according to The NPD Group’s Entertainment Trends in America report.

Consumers spent on average one hour more viewing content in August 2017 than they did a year earlier -- and the number of overall streaming viewers was up eight percentage points year over year, the study noted.

Somewhat counterintuitively, the number of consumers paying to download a single file (like a movie or TV show) also continued to go up, rising two points year over year.

“SVOD had the highest year-over-year increase, with almost half the population streaming video, but purchasing downloadable content is also gaining traction,” said Graham Gee, president of video entertainment for The NPD Group.

“When it comes to entertainment, few consumers limit themselves to one single option,” Gee added. “Going out to the movies, watching cable TV, and viewing DVDs at home are still very popular activities, even as subscriptions to streaming services rise.”

The study suggests that U.S. consumers are simply consuming more content than they have in the past, with the new streaming options joining traditional TV content as well as other forms of media.