Six out of ten internet households in Spain pay to watch audiovisual content online, according to research by the National Markets and Competition Commission (CNMC).
Almost half of Spaniards (47%) consume audiovisual content online at least once a week, and series (64.2%) overtake news (61.7%) in the ranking of most watched audiovisual content, led by films (75.8%).
The CNMC has analysed the audiovisual consumption of Spaniards through paid online platforms such as Netflix, HBO and Amazon Prime Video. By the end of 2022, these types of paid platforms were present in 59.2% of households with internet access.
The year-on-year growth was 7.4%, according to the latest data from the CNMC Household Panel for the fourth quarter of 2022. This is almost five times the figure obtained at the end of 2016, six years earlier.
More and more individuals are consuming audiovisual content online, whether it is free or paid for. In the fourth quarter of 2022, almost half of Spaniards (47%) consumed online audiovisual content at least once a week, 3% more than in the same quarter of the previous year.
More series and less news programmes
Films (75.8%) and series (64.2%) were the most watched audiovisual content at the end of 2022. In fact, series overtook news programmes in the ranking: the percentage of individuals watching the news went from 64.3% to 61.7% between the fourth quarter of 2021 and 2022.
The type of audiovisual content consumed determines the service used. For example, at the end of 2022, news programmes were mainly watched on free-to-air TV/TDT, while gaming streams/videos were watched via video-sharing platforms (such as YouTube).
Age also affects the service used: during weekends and holidays, the youngest (10-15 years old) spent 2.4 hours a day on video-sharing platforms, and 1.6 hours on video-on-demand services. Older people (65 and over), on the other hand, hardly used these options and instead spent 3.6 hours a day watching free-to-air/TDT television.
Methodology
These results are part of the CNMC Household Panel, a survey of households and individuals conducted every six months. The CNMC aims to collect information directly from citizens through surveys and analysis of utility bills. The study is multi-sectoral in nature and collects data on the telecommunications, audiovisual, energy, postal and transport markets, among others. The survey for this wave was conducted in the fourth quarter of 2022 and included 5,350 households and 9,149 individuals.
