Viewers have more content to choose from than ever before, and certainly more ways and places to watch it. They are starting to customise their living-room experience, devoting more watch time to streaming services.
According to Nielsen, more than half of 18 to 49 year olds are either light viewers or don’t subscribe to television. Predictions made by Cisco’s Visual Networking Index (VNI) forecast predicts that by 2020, 82% of all internet traffic will be video content.
During the festive period (Nov/Dec 2019), South Africans enjoyed bingeing on their favourite shows, utilising our very own Showmax video streaming service. For those not familiar with Showmax, it is the longest-running streaming service in South Africa.
Since it first launched in 2015, a number of early streaming competitors have fallen wayside, indicating Showmax tends to dominate in terms of library content which consists of movies, series and sport.
This video streaming service does not cost much (just R99 per month) and there’s a free trial to test-drive it before committing. The price has not changed since the service launched, and DStv Premium subscribers get Showmax for free as a perk.
Over the festive period, there was an increase of 30% in viewing hours compared to the average seen in prior months (2019). Most watched were South African shows; among these was the reality show, The Real Housewives of Johannesburg, which was ranked among the most viewed.
Some of the most viewed series in 2019 were Game of Thrones, Big Little Lies, Billions and Siren.
According to MultiChoice, around 9% of its user base in South Africa is streaming content through Showmax and DStv Now. This would equate to a streaming service of more than 590 000 people. With the new tracking results being released in the next few months, this figure would have increased significantly.
Image 1 provides an insight on how traffic on the Showmax website has grown over the last six months, via desktop and mobile web devices. There was a total of 8.97 million visits between July and December 2019.
It can be said that, video on demand has revolutionized the way content is viewed currently amongst the different generations. It has contributed to taking traditional cable TV to the next level, thanks to the widespread availability of high-speed broadband internet. Showmax has allowed viewers to stream their favorite TV shows and movies, gaining hundreds of viewers each year.
These are the five benefits which Showmax provides, if you are thinking of a traditional TV alternative:
- Convenience: You can choose the content you would like to watch whenever you want, wherever you want and as often as you want. There are no binding contracts, so you are free to discontinue your subscription at any point and at time.
- Connectivity: It only requires an internet connection and a device.
- Cost: For only a fraction of what you pay, you get access to on-demand movies and TV shows.
- Variety: This service provides access to hundreds and thousands of different types of movies and shows, that include sport as well.
- Devices: The convenience of being able to watch videos from anywhere, anytime and how many ever times you want to watch.
To end of, this service allows you to stand out from the crowd. It allows consumers to see that your brand can be forward-thinking and technologically-savvy by implementing innovative methods to speak to your audience. Overall, video streaming allows a viewer base to be broader and allows the viewing experience to be customised and meet the needs of diverse customers.
Melisha Pillay currently works as a strategist at DStv Media Sales in the media strategy and insights departments, where she has been for the past five years. She recently graduated with a PhD in Strategic Marketing.
