SINGAPORE, October 21, 2020 — Online video is more popular than ever with Singaporeans watching eight hours, 42 minutes per week on average, higher than the global average of seven hours, 55 minutes per week. With consumers homebound during the pandemic, video viewing in Singapore increased 14 per cent in the past year. This is according to the “State of Online Video 2020,” a report commissioned by Limelight Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq: LLNW), to understand consumer perceptions and behaviours around online video.
Top findings from the report include:
- Staying home drove streaming subscriptions. In Singapore, nearly 4 in 10 subscribed to additional streaming services in the last 6 months, with the primary reason being that people are spending more time at home due to COVID-19 (36 per cent). The second largest driver of new subscription purchases (22 per cent) is availability of new content.
- Consumers are price cautious. More than half (55 per cent) of Singaporean consumers will cancel a streaming subscription due to high prices, higher than the global average of 47 per cent. Furthermore, almost 3 in 10 Singaporeans (29 per cent) admit to sharing login information or using someone else’s account. Password sharing is highest in Indonesia, with 58 per cent of people admitting to sharing credentials.
- TV shows and movies are the most popular content. Movies are the most commonly watched content in Singapore, with people watching on average four hours and 24 minutes per week. This is closely followed by TV shows, with Singaporeans watching an average of four hours 24 minutes each week.
- User-generated content viewing surges. Globally,watching user-generated content has doubled over the past year to an average of four hours per week. In Singapore, YouTube dominates as the most-preferred platform for watching user-generated content (68 per cent), followed by Facebook (12 per cent).
- Delays are a dealbreaker. Most Singaporeans (66 per cent) said they would be more likely to stream a live event if it is not delayed from live broadcast.
“Online video demand has clearly accelerated in Singapore this year, especially with so many people turning to video for entertainment, information and communication as they spend more time at home due to COVID-19,” said Edwin Koh, Director of Southeast Asia at Limelight Networks. “Our research shows that with the rise in viewers and subscriptions, it is critical that content providers have the right combination of the content consumers want, the infrastructure to scale to meet demand and technology to give them the best possible viewing experiences.”
The “State of Online Video” 2020 report is based on responses from 5,000 consumers in France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States, ages 18 and older, who watch one hour or more of online video content each week.
