Over one in four (28%) of Czech TV viewers aged 15-69 currently subscribe to at least one streaming service.
According to research published by atmedia, this amounts to almost 2 million people, with the average number of services subscribed to being 1.44 per viewer. The most popular are Netflix and HBO Go, with the former chosen by three out of four Czech TV viewers who watch streaming services. HBO Go is chosen by one in three (34%), with others being iPrima, Voyo and Apple TV+.
According to Pavel Müller, heads of research and marketing at atmedia, comparisons with some foreign countries show that VOD market still has significant room for growth in the Czech Republic. “For example, in the UK or Northern Europe, up to 80% of households pay for VOD services, and they do not hesitate to pay for two or three VOD services at once”.
He added: “It will be interesting to see how the ranking of VOD services will change in the coming years. Next year alone, Disney + and HBO Max are due to enter the Czech market”.
The research notes that Czech TV viewers who watch VOD services especially appreciate the rich offer of programmes (17.6%), the opportunity to choose a specific programme according to their current mood (17.5%) and also the opportunity to watch programmes anytime and anywhere (17.0%). Other reasons why Czechs subscribe to streaming services include the ability to watch programmes without ads (16.9%). Some also want to watch programmes that are not offered by TV stations (15.1%), or they want to watch their favourite programmes on various devices (14.3%). More than a tenth of these viewers are looking for foreign content that they want to watch in the original version.
Although 28% of Czech television viewers subscribe to at least one VOD service, a group of those who do not watch VOD still predominate. The main reason is the fact that the offer of programmes on television stations seems sufficient to them (42.8%). Price also plays an important role. More than a third of those who are not customers of VOD services do not want to pay for video content (35.9%). One in five such viewers claims that the monthly fee for streaming services is too high (18.4%). Other reasons also include the fact that people simply do not have time to watch programmes within VOD services (21.3%).
Despite these reservations, 2.5% of Czech television viewers who do not yet watch VOD services have plans to start using them. Another 16.9% have not yet been decided. In total, they would be willing to pay an average of CZK148 (€5.86) per month for VOD.
Müller continued: “The willingness to pay for video content has certain limits and this issue will play an even more important role in the coming years, when other players enter the Czech market. Even foreign markets show that viewers are willing to spend only a certain amount on streaming services, in the US it is around $20. In this context, one of the possible streaming service strategies is to offer your content with advertising. Research shows that viewers are willing to consume a limited number of ads for a lower fee for VOD services”.
