Word of Mouth Chief Means of Content Discovery for Streamers: Conviva

Word of mouth is the leading source of content discovery (59%) for video streamers, followed by advertising (52%), social media (49%) and streaming service recommendations (43%), reported Conviva Monday. Amid an abundance of available video, connecting viewers with content that piques their interest and keeps them coming back is a “significant challenge,” said CEO Keith Zubchevich. The report cited a correlation between high social media usage and high streaming video consumption, showing “social platforms are key to new content discovery.” A typical consumer uses an average 3.4 social media platforms -- 3.9 for heavy streamers and 2.3 for nonstreamers. More than 90% of heavy social users stream on Netflix, and over half also stream on Amazon Prime, YouTube, Disney+, Hulu and HBO Max. On where respondents saw ads for streaming content, most said TV, followed by 20% saying social media. One in 10 was influenced to watch something based on a newspaper, magazine or newspaper ad. About 65% of long-form video is consumed on the big screen, said the report, suggesting “30-second ads remain viable.” Ads that are five to 10 seconds are better for smaller devices; 42% of shorter content is consumed on cellphones. With 75% of respondents browsing the internet for more than an hour daily, and 38% over three hours, “the web should remain a dominant part of the paid ad mix,” it said. The survey of 2,502 adults was fielded June 10-14.