• by Alex Weprin , September 12, 2018

While streaming video continues to grow at an accelerating pace, a majority of consumers surveyed by Nielsen for the company’s latest Video 360 Report say they have purchased a video in the past year — either buying a physical copy like a Blu-Ray or downloading a digital copy.

Nielsen found that among those who opted to buy a digital download, the biggest factors were the convenience of buying straight from any device, which 49% of respondents cited as a reason for purchase.

Flexibility in being able to watch the downloaded content across different devices was another factor. Some 42% of respondents cited it as a reason for buying.

Also, 40% cited the quality of digital videos as the reason for buying digitally.

Among buyers of physical videos, device ownership (i.e., a video game console or Blu-Ray player) topped the list of reasons for buying.

There was a significant difference between age groups when it came to which preferred digital downloads to physical copies of videos.

A plurality of consumers in demographic groups age 45+ preferred physical copies, while a plurality of those under 45 preferred digital downloads. Consumers age 25-34 were more likely than all other demographic groups to buy videos, in both physical and digital form.

While the world of video is still trending toward streaming video, there is ample opportunity in downloads and physical video.

Nielsen says that one strategy that may help drive sales of full-length videos is the availability of related short-form videos. The company found that 62% of those who bought long-form videos also watched more short-form videos.