Penthera: 59% of consumers expect streaming services to support downloads

More than half (59%) of U.S. subscription streaming video service users now expect those services to offer a download feature for offline viewing, according to Penthera.

The technology firm just released a new study – assembled by Colin Dixon, chief analyst and founder of nScreenMedia, and Will Richmond, editor and publisher of VideoNuze – that also found that 54% are more likely to subscribe to service if downloads are offered, and that use of downloads has increased 132% over where it was in 2018.

“As more users experience the benefits of mobile video downloading and realize that it solves pesky streaming issues like buffering, momentum for the feature will build. Add it all up and mobile video downloading is ‘table stakes’ for any video service provider to be fully competitive,” the company wrote.

RELATED: Ad-supported downloads coming in Q1 2020, Penthera exec says

Penthera’s study looked at 80 of the top video service providers and found that 28 supported downloads. All 28 supported downloads on iOS devices and all but four supported it on Android devices.

Right now only ad-free streaming services support downloads. But Dan Taitz, president chief operating officer at Penthera, said the wait is almost over for AVOD downloads. He said that ad-supported downloads will debut in the U.S. (if not first in an international market) in the first quarter of 2020. He couldn’t elaborate on which company or service would first launch the feature but he did say that Penthera is pretty far along with testing the feature with a major broadcaster and a pure-play AVOD player.