Whether it’s Netflix, Neon, Lightbox or TVNZ On Demand - streaming TV, films and sports is becoming mainstream and Kiwis young and old are changing their viewing habits.
Research carried out by Opinion Compare for Broadband Compare indicates that there are some key differences in the way that younger and older generation adapt to streaming.
And, with 75% of Kiwis now paying for at least one streaming service – will streaming kill traditional TV?
A total of 1,250 New Zealanders completed the survey about streaming and entertainment. The sample has been weighted to represent age, gender and the regional profile of New Zealand.
The adoption rates for streaming services are pretty impressive, even for older age groups. Streaming is more popular than terrestrial TV for Kiwis 25-54 with 87% having streaming content in the last 6 months. This drops to 78% for 55-64 year olds and just 64% of those aged 65+
Younger age groups tend to be more ‘inventive’ in the way they access content from both legal and illegal sources.
Away from legal streaming services, 31% of 18-34 year old admitted accessing illegally streamed content. Males (20%) are also more likely than females (13%) to turn to illegal streams. Interestingly, those who stream illegally aren’t just accessing illegal content – 91% of this group are also accessing legal streaming content.
Quality of content and monthly costs are both seen as extremely important when deciding whether to use a streaming service. When looking at the factors that are most important to them when considering whether to use a streaming service, 78% say that it is quality of content, while 69% say monthly cost is extremely important.
But, for customers over 65, who are less confident about streaming, customer service is also extremely important. A significantly higher number of those surveyed who were over 65 (63%) said that customer service is extremely important.
And, confidence in the concept of streaming may also be a barrier to take up, and likelihood to stream, just 24% of those over 65 rate themselves as extremely confident about streaming.
With such low confidence in streaming services this is hardly surprising. Older Kiwis are likely to need extra guidance when setting up streaming.
That may also be why older generations are more likely to stick with using the Sky Subscription online, while younger generations turn to Netflix. Kiwis aged 45-65 are most likely to have a Sky subscription (36%), whereas those 25-44 are embracing Netflix – a huge 74% of Kiwis this age have access to Netflix in their home
75% of Kiwis are paying for at least one of the streaming services they access with the average cost per month being $37.50 for streaming.
Those over 65 are the most likely to be freeloading – 34% that access streaming only access free content.
Those aged 45-54 are the most likely to pay for services, and are also paying the most for the privilege - $45.90, over $8 more than average.
Has old school “terrestrial” TV had its day? Not quite yet – the research indicates that old-school TV remains popular, with 72% of New Zealanders having watched in the last 6 months.
Popularity for streaming has reached a tipping point, a huge 81% of respondents told us that they have streamed a TV show / movie or other event via a legal streaming service in the last 6 months.
Streaming is more popular than terrestrial TV for Kiwis 25-54 with 87% having streaming content in the last 6 months. This drops to 78% for 55-64 year olds and just 64% of those aged 65+.
