A very good thing? Streaming service subscribers report that content overload and hidden fees are leading to frustration and subscription fatigue.
In fact, the new survey of 2,000 U.S. streaming service subscribers found that the average person spends 110 hours a year scrolling through streaming services, struggling to find something worth watching — a stark reminder of the “Much content, very little time”. € € dilemma.
Commissioned by UserTesting and conducted by Talker Research, the study found that one in five believe it is harder to find something to watch today than it was 10 years ago.
According to them, the root cause comes from being overloaded with too much content.
Many struggled with having larger content libraries (41%) and feeling like too much original content was being produced (26%).
Although 75% appreciate the streaming service’s algorithms serving them accurate recommendations, 51% admitted that the amount of recommended content is also overwhelming, explaining that they want to watch everything that is recommended to them.
Nearly half (48%) no longer have traditional cable. Those who choose streaming platforms do so because they like variety (43%), shows they want to watch aren’t on cable (34%), and find streaming more convenient for on-the-go viewing (29%).
However, people are generally dissatisfied with the current streaming services available. In fact, 51% would prefer more streaming service options — even if those options included ads.
When asked what their “dream” streaming platform would look like, top features included premium channels and networks at no extra cost (40%) and an easy-to-navigate interface (39%).
Additionally, 52% said a platform’s user interface plays a massive or significant role in their decision to subscribe.
The average person said all of the above should be available for no more than $46 a month — although 11% admitted they would gladly pay over $100 a month for the service.
“The broadcast landscape has evolved from solving the content access problem to creating a new content discovery challenge,” said Bobby Meixner, senior director of industry solutions at UserTesting. “Our research shows that despite advanced recommendation algorithms, viewers are spending nearly five full days each year just trying to decide what to watch – time that could be spent enjoying the content.”
The study also revealed a number of frustrations experienced by streaming subscribers.
A significant 79% expressed frustration with streaming services requiring additional subscription fees for selected content.
When faced with these added fees, most (59%) are unlikely to pay and would instead look for content on another platform they subscribe to (73%), give up and watch something else (77 %) or would consider canceling their subscription altogether. (37%). Nearly one in five (19%) would sign up for a free trial of a platform to find a show they want to watch.
Respondents also expressed disdain for platforms that pull shows without warning, which directly affects loyalty.
Over the past year, 69% have opened a streaming service at least once to find that the show they were looking for is no longer there.
Forty-four percent said they would likely end their subscription to a streaming service and subscribe to a new one just to continue watching a favorite show, and 56% would cancel that subscription once they finished watching the show in question.
But when they do cancel, nearly a quarter (23%) have experienced difficulties, claiming that it is difficult for them to find the cancellation option on the platform’s website (39%) or that the cancellation process was too complicated with steps many. (36%).
“We’re seeing a fundamental shift in how streaming platforms need to approach the user experience,” Meixner continued. “With 52% of subscribers saying interface design significantly influences their subscription decisions and 79% frustrated by hidden fees, streaming services must balance content abundance with accessibility and transparency to maintain subscriber loyalty. “
Survey methodology:
Talker Research surveyed 2,000 US adults who subscribe to at least one streaming service; the survey was commissioned by UserTesting and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between November. 2 and November. 7, 2024.
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