By Jonathan Easton

VOD consumption dropped in 2021 globally, a new report has revealed.

According to NPAW, the peak pandemic viewing of 2020 dropped off last year, with each streaming provider experiencing an average drop of 9 per cent.

The report notes that while the easing of lockdown restrictions across the globe in 2021 did contribute to this downward trend, increased competition in the space also played a key role in spreading the distribution of viewing.

While VOD viewing dropped, the report also states that linear TV viewing increased globally, but this drastically varied from region to region. This, it said, is reflective of the local nature of linear TV, and how its consumption depends much more on local preferences and trends than VOD.

Contributing to linear TV’s resurgence was a return of the full sports calendar, with sports streaming consumption and quality to continue rising in 2022 as providers put a greater focus on this type of content.

CEO and co-founder of NPAW, Ferran G. Vilaró said: “In today’s hyper-competitive market landscape, it is critical for providers to prioritise Quality of Experience and Quality of Service if they want to stay ahead of the game. Access to real-time data and video analytics insights is the key to creating better user journeys, increasing viewer loyalty, and reducing churn.”