Hispanics are more likely to have made streaming an integral part of their video viewing lifestyle, according to Horowitz Research.
Half (51%) of Hispanic TV viewers in the research company’s Focus Latino study report spending 20% or more of their time watching over-the-top (OTT) content, compared to 43% of total urban TV content viewers. Among Hispanics, OTT viewing is being driven by bilingual and English-oriented Hispanics. More than half of bilingual (54%) and English-oriented (56%) Hispanics report spending more than 20% of their viewing time streaming, compared to 35% of Spanish-dominant Hispanics.
The study, which also looks at technology adoption, shows that OTT capability—being able to stream to a TV, computer, or handheld device—is ubiquitous among bilingual and English-oriented Hispanics (92% and 95%, respectively), but at only 74% among Spanish-dominant Hispanics. The research suggests less access, rather than lack of interest in OTT, is why Spanish-dominant Hispanics are less likely to be OTT users:
When the access barrier is removed, Spanish-dominant Hispanics’ OTT habits are similar to their bilingual and English-oriented counterparts. Among OTT viewers, Spanish-dominant Hispanics spend 49% of their viewing time with streamed content, on par with bilingual (51%) and English-oriented (45%). Another consideration is the availability and importance of Spanish-language content: 62% of Spanish-dominant Hispanics report being regular viewers of Spanish-language content.
“Up until now there has been relatively little Spanish-language content available through OTT. Now, new services like Yaveo are offering a selection of Spanish-language content and established SVOD services, like Hulu and Netflix, are strengthening their Spanish programming. We think this will energize the market. Demand for these services could help close the access gap among less acculturated Latinos,” said Adriana Waterston, Horowitz’s SVP of insights and strategy.