The days of the family gathering together to watch the latest episode of a favourite series may be drawing to a close.
New research from Ampere Analysis has found an increasing number of consumers no longer find watching TV with other members of their household particularly of interest. The research goes further to suggest they actively disagree that watching with others is important.
The research runs counter to the fact that some of the biggest ‘water cooler’ TV shows of the last 12 months have been viewed on streaming services. The numbers of solo viewers are greatest in those markets with highest OTT video usage, indicating that it is specifically the rise of video-on-demand (VoD), and the huge variety in content choices that it enables, that is driving the phenomenon.
“The rise of SVoD services has resulted in a plethora of content hitting our screens. Accessibility through devices such as tablets and smartphones mean viewers can watch whatever they want, whenever they want,” says Minal Modha from Ampere Analysis. “This means watching alone has never been easier. As new services launch and existing services create content customised perfectly to their audiences, we believe solo viewing behaviour is a theme which will only grow further in importance.”
The drive to watch alone is most common in adult-only homes and in developed Western countries, particularly Sweden, Denmark and Australia, where over one third of consumers self-identify as solo viewers. In comparison, there’s less solo viewing in emerging markets including Poland, India and Saudi Arabia where just over one in 10 respondents say they like to view alone.
