• by Alex Weprin , August 14, 2018

Subscribers to virtual multichannel video providers (vMVPDs), or streaming video bundles, are “super users” of over-the-top video, data from comScore finds.

While the average household that streams over-the-top video spends 54 hours per month streaming, vMVPD subscribers streamed an average of 128 hours of OTT content. In other words, households that bought into these new bundles (which include Sling TV, YouTube TV and Hulu with Live TV) stream an average of more than twice as much video as other households that watch OTT video.

While vMVPD subscribers may stream far more video than other households, these users still remain a relatively small part of the overall video ecosystem.

ComScore says that in April of this year, 5% of households with Wi-Fi streamed a vMPVD service, with pure-play vMVPDs accounting for only 10% of all time spent on OTT streaming.

Of course, while vMVPD use may still be a small percentage of the overall pie, that slice is growing rapidly. The 5% of households that streamed vMVPDs was up 58% compared to last year, while the 10% of time spent was up 53% compared to last year.

“Both Hulu and YouTube launched their services in 2017, so they are still in their infancy and have significant growth potential,” wrote comScore Senior Director of Emerging Products Susan Engleson in the report.

“In fact, it’s likely both services will well exceed one million users each this year. This would put vMVPDs at more than seven million users total -- nearly one-third the number of households with satellite.”