Pandemic-Fueled OTT Video Subs Growth Seen Slowing to 1.8B: Report

The pandemic-fueled surge in subscriptions for over-the-top video services (sub OTT users) is slowing, said eMarketer Wednesday. Over 677.4 million people worldwide, including projections for 2022, will have joined the ranks of sub OTT users in the three years since the pandemic began, but the positive effect of stay-at-home trends fueled by COVID-19 is “fading,” and subscriber adds will shrink to 269.4 million over the next three years, said the company. For 2022, global sub OTT usership will grow by 9.1% -- compared with 26% in 2020 -- with video viewing one of the most common digital activities globally, it said. Over 1.8 billion people will use a sub OTT service at least once a month this year, double that from four years ago; the figure is expected to reach 2.2 billion by 2025, it said. More than 55% of all digital video viewers will pay for at least one service this year; that compares with YouTube viewership at 63.5%, it said.