Hamilton gives SVOD boost but major platforms show drop in viewing minutes
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| 13 July 2020
Even though streaming levels as a whole are up on the levels of March’s pre-Covid-19 stay-at-home order days, average monthly household viewing minutes for the leading SVOD products was down 4% from May and down 12% from the high in April according to the June 2020 edition of the Beacon Streaming Video Monitor from 7Park Data.
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As it analysed the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Apple TV+ and Disney+, the report came to the conclusion that if SVOD juggernaut Netflix were the King George III of the over-the-top (OTT) industry, then the Disney+ and Apple TV+ platforms that both launched in November 2019 were the “young, scrappy and hungry” upstarts challenging for the crown. A timely caparison given the huge effect that the arrival of Hamilton on Disney+ was having on the new direct-to-consumer service.

The study found that 73% of viewers watched only one of the SVOD platform rms platform, while 22% watched two platforms and 5% watched three or more. Multiple platform usage had increased since March due to Covid-19 stay-at-home orders but looks to be trending down.

Even though the study found that the majority of viewers’ time spent continues to be on Netflix, which accounted for 70% (445 minutes) of total streaming minutes across all platforms. Netflix actually suffered a 4% dip in viewing time, with Amazon Prime experiencing a decline of 12%. Hulu’s daily time spent was up 5% in June, driven by animated shows and primetime classics.

Yet Apple TV+ surged 51% to 80 minutes primarily because of the mini-series Defending Jacob, gaining a boost as the season finale became available on 29 May. Even though 7Park Data predicted that Defending Jacob’s popularity will wane in July, it noted that Apple also has the exclusive rights to the new wartime film Greyhound starring Tom Hanks debuting on 9 July which would likely compensate.

Disney+ held steady at 83 minutes in June but 7Park Data added that figure would not be the case in July following the 4th of July holiday weekend debut of Hamilton. It noted already that from 1-5 July Hamilton was by far the most-viewed streaming video title, accounting for 22% of the time households spent across all five major streaming platforms. Four-fifths of Disney+ users watched Hamilton, and it secured 87% of the total time spent on Disney+ platform. the Beacon Streaming Video Monitor observed that these numbers also bode well for the platform’s long-term growth said the analyst.