comScore: Sling TV Tops Netflix in Monthly Viewing Time

13 Apr, 2017 By: Erik Gruenwedel

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Netflix is the pioneer and market leader of over-the-top video subscription business with 75% household penetration in the United States through the end of 2016, according to from comScore.

Yet, in OTT video households, Netflix trails Dish Network’s Sling TV with about 28 hours of average monthly viewing in the home, compared with 47 hours for Sling TV.

The discrepancy revolves around the fact Sling TV is online TV, featuring access to myriad pay-TV channels, while Netflix offers proprietary content and third-party licensed fare.

Meanwhile, YouTube had 53% household penetration, followed by Amazon Prime Video (33%) and Hulu (17%). comScore said there are 11 OTT video services with distribution in at least 1 million households.

Over the 25% of OTT households without Netflix, more than 30% of social video behemoth YouTube and Twitch’s TV viewers also do not watch Netflix, including 14% of Hulu households.

In a blog post, Mike Rich, VP of emerging products at comScore, said Amazon is growing the OTT pie through Prime Video and the Fire TV media device. While Netflix tops every viewing platform from Roku to video game consoles to Blu-ray Disc players, on Fire TV Prime Video is No. 1, followed by YouTube and Netflix.

“OTT is a growing an increasingly important segment of the video-viewing landscape, and the popularity of multiple services beyond Netflix suggests the market is poised for more growth,” Rich wrote. “With 50% of households still yet to engage with OTT as of December 2016, there is a major opportunity for a number of services to help fill this vacuum. The question is whether — or to what extent — Netflix can retain its leadership position in this space as that happens.”

Netflix reports first-quarter fiscal results April 17.
 

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