Streaming has fundamentally changed the way we consume media.

A streaming service is an on-demand source of online entertainment that allows consumers to access audio and video content. The providers of these services require membership fees that typically take two forms: either pay-per-view or subscription. However, free streaming is readily available in the form of user-made content on platforms such as YouTube.

The streaming industry has undergone tremendous change and is expected to continue to do so for many years to come. It is at the forefront of how we consume media and being aware of the ways in which it is utilized can be a valuable asset for marketing campaigns and thought leadership in consumer practices moving forward. Feel free to skip ahead to:

1. Music streaming statistics 

2. Podcast streaming statistics

3. Video streaming statistics

Streaming statistics for 2019

The following numbers and statistics provide insights into how streaming services have been used over the past few years and how they’re likely to evolve through the remainder of 2019 and beyond.

Music streaming statistics

General statistics

• 23% of all on-demand streaming time was made up of paid audio streaming in 2017, with free streaming coming in a close second at 22% (IFPI, 2018).
• There are 186.7 million digital music users in the U.S. (Statista).
• Soundcloud has over 10 million music creators, 177 million tracks, and over 1 billion users (IFPI, 2018).
• One of the key performance factors for music streaming services is library size. Service TIDAL has over 60 million tracks, whereas Apple Music has 50 million with Spotify coming in at just 40 million (Wikipedia).
• As of April 2019, Apple Music has the largest number of paying users at over 95 million in the U.S. alone (CNBC).
• Americans streamed more than 900 billion songs during 2018 (Nielsen, 2018).
• The number of on-demand audio streams grew by 49% in 2018 up to 611 billion (Nielsen, 2018).
• Between 2013 and 2018, the number of songs streamed over the internet has increased by over 800% (Statista).
• 80% of consumers in the United States say that a variety of music and a low price point are the most important features in a music streaming service (Statista, 2018).
• The least important feature for music streaming services for consumers are curated playlists at 51% and Artist exclusives at 46% (Statista, 2018).

Music streaming and monetization

• Current digital music subscription and streaming revenue is at $5.66 Billion (Statista).
• The music industry has become primarily centered around digital streaming; streaming revenue increased over 41% in 2017 while download revenue decreased over 20% and physical revenue by 5% (IFPI, 2018).
• 14% of the population use paid music streaming services multiple times a day (Statista).
• 70% of all digital music revenue in Europe was from paid subscription services (IFPI, 2018).
• By contrast, only 47% of digital music revenue in the United States was from paid subscription services (IFPI, 2018).
• 80% of consumers in the United States say that a variety of music and a low price point are the most important features in a music streaming service (Statista, 2018).
• The least important feature for music streaming services for consumers are curated playlists at 51% and Artist exclusives at 46% (Statista, 2018).
• The best streaming service for musicians is Napster, once a nest of digital music pirates, as it pays 0.019 cents per play. An artist needs 77,474 plays to earn the US minimum monthly wage of $1462 (Digital Music News, 2018).
• 38% of all music industry revenue originated from streaming services in 2017 (IFPI, 2018).

Podcast streaming statistics

• There are around 73 million regular podcast listeners in the U.S. (Statista).
• Over half of all podcast listeners are male (Nielsen, 2018).
• Podcasts span over 100 languages across the world (Pacific Content, 2018).
• An estimated 189 million people over the age of 12 in the United States have listened to online audio in 2019 (Edison Research).
• 91% of people ages 12 to 24 have listened to online audio (Edison Research).
• Podcast listeners tend to be 13% more active on social media platforms than the general population (Nielsen, 2018).
• 51% of the US population has listened to a podcast (Edison Research).
• Podcast listening is conducted mostly at home (49%) followed by the car at 22% (Edison Research).
• 70% of the U.S. population know and are familiar with podcasts. This is an increase from 64% in 2018 (Edison Research).
• 62 million people listen to podcasts on a weekly basis in 2019 (Nielsen, 2018).
• 16 million people in the United States describe themselves as “avid podcast fans” (Edison Research).
• 26% of the U.S. population regularly listen to podcasts (Statista).
• U.S. podcasting revenue is expected to increase to $659 million by 2020 (Iab, 2018).
• 10% of consumers listen to a podcast on a daily basis (Statista).
• Smartphones are by far the most popular way to listen to podcasts (Edison).
• 54% of podcast listeners on smartphones use iPhones (Nielsen, 2018).
• Podcast listeners subscribe to an average of six shows (Pacific Content, 2018).
• Podcasts comprise around 22% of all audio content listened to in cars (Edison Research).

Video streaming statistics

General video streaming statistics

• The current digital video revenue is estimated to be around $11.34 billion (Statista).
• There is a growing belief that traditional television does not offer enjoyable, quality content for the price, with over 70% of consumers believing streaming subscriptions offer better services (Deloitte).
• There is a 45.2% penetration rate for digital video streaming in the United States (Statista).
• Over 60% of Gen Z and Millennial consumers stream videos daily (Deloitte, 2018).
• Audiences are more likely to use paid video streaming services (Nielsen, 2018).
• Less than 30% of Baby Boomers use streaming services on a daily basis (Deloitte, 2018).
• The global video streaming market is estimated to be worth $124.57 billion by 2025 (Market Watch, 2018).
• Consumers in the United States spend nearly as much time watching videos as they do working, nearly 40 hours. 15 hours of this are through streaming services (Deloitte).
• About 55% of U.S. households have a paid streaming service (Statista).
• Over a quarter of all consumers report they do not use traditional cable television (Deloitte, 2018).
• Of the consumers who possess traditional cable services, 56% say it’s only because it’s included with their internet plans (Deloitte, 2018).
• Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z binge the most episodes, with all groups watching between 6-7 episodes in a single sitting. In contrast, Boomers only watch 4-5 (Deloitte, 2018).
• US consumers spent $200 billion a month in 2017 on video streaming (Deloitte, 2018).
• Around 36% report having both streaming and cable or satellite (CNBC, 2018).
• 59% of adults use cable television for their consumption, with only 28% using streaming services (Pew Research, 2017).
• People with a college degree are more likely to use streaming services, with 35% of degree holders using these services versus 22% of those who hold a high school diploma or less (Pew Research, 2017).
• 14% of households earning under $30,000 rely on a digital antenna for TV viewing while just 5% of households earning over $75,000 say the same (Pew Research, 2017).

Live-streaming

• There was an 81% increase in live video viewership from 2015 to 2016 (Livestream.com).
• 56% of respondents to the Livestream.com survey reported breaking news as being their most-watched live content (Livestream.com).
• 80% of brand audiences would rather watch live video from a brand than read a blog, and 82% prefer live video to social posts (Livestream.com).
• Live video viewers are 67% more likely to buy a ticket to a concert or event after watching a live video of that event or a similar one (Livestream.com).
• Audiences love behind-the-scenes access; 87% prefer to watch online television if it meant more behind-the-scenes content (Livestream.com).
• 45% of viewers would be willing to pay for live, exclusive, or on-demand video content from a favorite celebrity, speaker, or group (Livestream.com).
• People spend an average of 3.5 minutes on live video, versus only 2.8 minutes for VOD playback (Tubular Insights, 2014).
• Live video has seen a 113% increase in ad growth yearly (Yahoo, 2016).
• 45% of people on the internet view at least one online video over the course of a month (Yumyumvideos).
• According to Livestream.com, YouTube Live is the most popular live video platforms, chosen by 70% of respondents (Livestream.com)

Video streaming platform usage

• YouTube has over one billion users, making it the largest streaming site in the world and accounting for nearly a third of the internet (YouTube).
• 70% of YouTube watchtime comes from mobile devices (YouTube).
• Netflix has 148 million subscribers worldwide as of 2019 (Statista).
• Netflix is the most popular video streaming service in the US and in the majority of the world (Comparitech, 2018).
• The largest video streaming library is Amazon Prime video with over 20,000 movies and TV shows (Comparitech, 2018).
• Over 1,535,062 unique viewers of independents streaming with over 58,249 live channels for live gaming services on Twitch (Twitch Tracker).
• Amazon Prime has over 100 million subscribers in the U.S. alone (Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, LLC, 2018).
• The United States exclusive service Hulu has over 25 million subscribers (The Wrap, 2018).
• Chinese video streaming company iQIYI earned over $2.6 billion in 2017 (SEC 2018).
• 57% of the American public uses some permutation of streaming service (CNBC, 2018).
• Over half of all Americans have a Netflix subscription (CNBC, 2018).

Mobile video streaming

• Consumers generally prefer streaming options on mobile devices and are willing to pay for them. Non-gaming streaming apps earned an aggregate of over $19 billion in 2018 (App Annie).
• The time spent on the top 5 video streaming apps exploded in growth between 2016 and 2018, showing a 140% increase (App Annie).
• Due to the large population, consumers in India spent over 45 billion hours watching app-based video streaming services in 2018, over double of their U.S. counterparts (App Annie).
• South Korean consumers watched the most hours per person of video content at around 10 billion hours in 2018. Spread over their population of 51 million, this comes to an average of almost 2,000 hours per individual (App Annie).
• Because YouTube is banned in China, Tencent Video is the most popular and widely used video streaming app in the country (App Annie).
• With the (rather significant) Chinese exception aside, YouTube is the most-used video streaming app in every other country surveyed for the App Annie study (App Annie).

The power of choice

While the uses of streaming services might seem obvious at first glance, a lot of valuable insights can be gained from taking a deeper dive into the medium. It’s up to you to turn this information into a way to effectively leverage the ever-growing power of streaming services.

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