Netflix’s pervasiveness is already well-documented, but new research suggests that the SVOD has found its way into about half of all U.S. broadband households.
According to new figures from Parks Associates, 49% of U.S. households with broadband subscribe to Netflix.
For Netflix, this is just another indicator of the service’s penetration in the U.S. market. Earlier this year, a study from the Leichtman Research Group found that 54% of adults report subscribing to Netflix versus 53% who said they have a DVR.
In April, Netflix reported 98.5 million total subscribers (including both domestic and international) and said it expects to pass 100 million total before the next quarterly report.
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The figures surrounding Netflix were part of a wider Parks Associates study, which showed that 50% of U.S. broadband households now watch internet video on a television screen.
"For years, the television has been the stronghold for the traditional TV industry," said Brett Sappington, senior director of research at Parks Associates, in a statement. "Today, more televisions are connected to the internet than ever, either directly or through connected devices like game consoles or streaming media players, such as Roku or Apple TV. The fact that one-half of broadband households watch internet video on a television shows that we are well past a tipping point. The market has fundamentally changed."
The study also found that 88% of computer-based viewing is from nonlinear sources, and that 72% of nonpay TV subscribers subscribe to an OTT video service, which is their primary source for content.
"Broadcasters, cable networks, and pay TV providers have noted a decline in viewership for live, linear TV channels and a corresponding increase in on-demand viewing," Sappington said. "The abundance of alternatives is clearly impacting the traditional TV industry. Well over 60% of households now subscribe to one or more OTT video services, and one-third subscribe to two or more services.