Channels have been long replaced by online streaming services. A wide range of categories and the convenience of not waiting for your favourite show to start are why more people go for video-on-demand.
How many Australians have SVoD? We’ve collected a list of video streaming in Australia statistics to quench your thirst for knowledge.
Keep on reading!
10 Fascinating Facts About the Streaming Industry in Australia
- Aussies spent $54.99 per month on entertainment subscriptions in 2021
- Netflix takes up 55% of the Australian video streaming usage
- Australia has 8.6 million people using video streaming brands
- Millennials (30.8%) and Gen X (24.3%) occupy more than half of Australian SVOD subscribers.
- 24% of Aussies borrow a Netflix account
- Middle-class Australians have an SVoD user rate of 34.7%
- The Netflix app has 22.4 million downloads in Australia
- Australia has an SVoD revenue growth of 12.3% in 2022
- Australia’s video streaming market revenue was estimated at $1.79 billion
- In 2021, 67% of Aussies had been subscribed to Netflix
General Video Streaming in Australia Statistics
1. In 2021, 62% of Aussies used video streaming services weekly.
(Social Research Centre) (Statista)
How many Australians use a streaming service? A survey has shown that the number of people who streamed movies or TV shows in the last seven days was 2% higher than the previous year.
On the other hand, commercial free-to-air television had decreased from 61% to 58% in 2021.
2. The USA has the highest video streaming penetration rate worldwide.
(Statista) (Statista)
In comparison, the global SVoD penetration rate was estimated at 15.6% in 2022. America dominates the video streaming industry with its superior ability to capture its audience through advertising. This is a list of how other countries rank on the SVOD penetration rate scale:
Each year, streaming services in Australia gain an even bigger penetration rate. For example, percentages steadily increased from 30.2% in 2019 to 32% the following year. The penetration rate of 33.1% in 2022 is the highest it has ever been to date, and it’s expected to grow additionally in the future.
- USA – 45.7%
- Sweden – 40.4%
- Canada – 37.4%
- Norway – 35.8%
- United Kingdom – 35.5%.
3. The Australian video streaming industry had a market growth of 27.8% in 2021.
(Statista)
Australia’s video streaming industry growth has been slippery. After falling to 12.6% in 2019, the market growth quickly got back on its feet the following year, reaching 25.6%.
However, right when it hit its peak in 2021, success proved to be short-lived, as the industry suffered a substantial decrease, growth dropping down to 16.6% just a year later. Moreover, analysts foresee numbers dwindling even further, getting as low as 3% in 2025.
4. 67% of Aussies had been subscribed to Netflix in 2021.
(Social Research Centre)
What is the most used streaming service in Australia? In 2021, Netflix was the video streaming service of choice for most Australian households, having a user increase of 2% compared to the previous year.
5. In 2021, Aussies spent 7 hours per week watching paid streaming services material.
Australians spend a significant chunk of time watching content on social media, and even twice as much streaming series and films. This is the amount of time that Ozzies spent watching digital media:
6. Overall, Australian households have 2.3 streaming service subscriptions.
- Free-to-air live TV actively – 8 hours
- Paid streaming video services – 7 hours
- Free-to-air live TV passively – 4 hours
- Free video platforms – 4 hours
- Social media videos – 3 hours
- Pay TV – 2 hours.
With millennials being the most significant age group in the Australian video streaming market, it’s more than expected to see that 38% of them own three or more streaming subscription services. In contrast, 41% of older adults had none. Gen X have also tuned into the online streaming hype, as 79% have at least one subscription.
7. Aussies spent $54.99 per month on entertainment subscriptions in 2021.
How much does the average Australian spend on streaming services monthly? Although being the age group least likely to possess an entertainment subscription, mature audiences spent $62.65 per month on media consumption in 2021, which is a significantly higher price compared to the ones other generations pay.
This is how much the rest of the Australian population pays on average for series and films:
8. Covid – 19 increased the Australian video streaming consumption in 2020.
There aren’t many entertainment options when trapped at home besides cosying up in front of the TV or computer device with your favourite series. Since the Covid-19 pandemic turned the world around and restrictions were placed, streaming brands have gained a more considerable following among Aussies.
Before the Covid-19 regulations took place, Aussies spent 4.7 hours per week on in-home media consumption, which then increased to an average of 6.5 hours. In the wake of the pandemic restrictions, Australians consumed fewer media, with just 4.9 hours in 7 days.
General Streaming Demographics
9. 8.6 million Australians use video streaming brands.
Video streaming has been quite the trend these days in Australia, with more and more people wanting to access the privilege of watching whatever you like – whenever you like. In 2020 there were 7.7 million streamers.
The following year, streaming services viewership numbers increased by attracting 1.1 million more. Finally, the industry reached a pinnacle of 8.6 million users in 2022, and the number is expected to grow even more in the next few years.
10. 30.8% of streaming subscribers in Australia are millennials.
Streaming services statistics 2020 show that Millennials (30.8%) and Gen X (24.3%) occupy more than half of Australian SVOD subscribers. They are followed by middle-aged adults (18.2%) and Gen Z, with a share of 17.1%. Unsurprisingly, Baby Boomers have the lowest subscription rates at only 9.5%.
Millennials are also the biggest internet users in the country, with 3.76 million of them saying they actively use the net.
11. Men take up more than half of paid streaming services users in Australia.
Streaming statistics 2021 reveal that, although not by much, streaming services subscription sales are led by men, with a share of 51.3%. In contrast, women made up 48.7% of SVoD consumers.
12. Video streaming has bigger popularity in metropolitan areas.
Online video streaming platforms have a usage of 85% in Australian metropolitan areas, compared to the 80% taken by free-to-air TV. Although regional areas tend to catch up on the streaming trends with a share of 79%, free-to-air TV is still widely chosen having a usage percentage of 75%.
13. Millennials watched 9 hours of paid streamed content on average per week.
Unsurprisingly, Millennials spent the most screen time watching movies and shows out of all age groups. In one week, Gen Z Aussies streamed 8.5 hours of content, while Gen X (6.5), Baby Boomers (5), and Matures (3.5) spent way less time on digital entertainment.
As for free streaming services, they were most popular with Gen Z, who spent 14 hours weekly watching free streaming video content. Streaming services viewership statistics show that millennials were also very fond of free SVoDs, spending 9 hours of the week watching.
Gen X, Baby Boomers, and Matures ranked low on the scale with 6, 4, and 2 hours of weekly viewed material, respectfully.
Streaming Content Users Behaviour
14. 36% of Australian seniors used an online streaming service.
Aussies aged 65 and over gained quite an interest in technology in 2020. Previously, older generations didn’t consume digital media to a large degree, with only 5% using online streaming services in 2017.
There wasn’t a difference in the number of seniors watching videos on YouTube or the Australians that watched movies or TV shows for free.
Three years later, percentages had sky-rocketed, with 24% of older generations using free streaming content platforms and 23% watching series or films without any expenses.
15. 25% of Australian women use Netflix daily.
(Screen Australia)
The latest survey results reveal that women in Australia mostly view digital media daily through Netflix (25%) and Facebook (29%), while men opt for free streaming content applications, such as Youtube (31%). The vast majority of men and women have never used Stan, with 71% and 70%, respectively.
16. SVoD platforms mostly attract users with high income.
Aussies with high income occupy 36.5% of the streaming platform users, a portion that’s much higher than that of users with low income (28.8%). On the other hand, middle-class Australians have an SVoD user rate of 34.7%.
17. 61% of Aussies watched comedies in 2021.
Australians streamed a wide range of TV series and movies throughout 2021, with comedies (61%) and dramas (55%) getting the most attention. Documentaries (53%) and thrillers (47%) were also in high demand, while 36% of Aussies watched Reality TV shows.
18. 24% of Aussies borrow a Netflix account.
(iTWire)
Although most Australians pay for their subscription, a significant portion of people use a family member or a friend’s account to stream original video content. Namely, almost half of Netflix users have their own profile, while less than 30% are freeloading off of another person.
Additionally, Australia piracy statistics reveal fewer people download TV shows in Australia due to an increase in streaming services subscriptions.
19. Gen Z are least likely to pay for streaming services.
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Gen Z Aussies seem not to want to squander cash on video subscriptions, as 74% don’t pay for their streaming account. Furthermore, more than half of Gen Y borrow another person’s SVoD account, while Gen X (38%) and Baby Boomers (20%) usually tend to stick to the classic pay-to-view method.
20. Aussies downloaded nearly 6 million terabytes of data in 2019.
(ACMA)
Australians prefer using their fixed internet connections, which account for 90% of the download volume in Australia, to stream video and spend more time on the web, the latest report by Australian Communications and Media Authority shows. People in Australia downloaded almost six million terabytes of data in just three months in 2019, enough to watch roughly 2.2 billion hours of high-definition video.
Revenue of the Streaming Service Industry
21. Netflix takes up 55% of the Australian video streaming usage.
What is the most used streaming service in Australia? Netflix proves to be the fastest-growing streaming platform, locally and globally, with a usage share of 55%. Here’s a list of the other SVoD platforms that gained a broad interest among Aussies:
22. In 2020, Netflix had a worldwide audience demand of 53.5%.
Netflix also spends the most on content, roughly US$17 billion in 2021. Apple TV+, which takes up a relatively low share of the global streaming market, spent US$8 billion on content last year, Apple sales and statistics show.
23. The Netflix app has 22.4 million downloads in Australia.
Netflix is the company that takes the number one spot even in app downloads, generating over 22 million users as of January 2022.
It is followed by:
24. In 2021, due to increasing market share, there was a government call for Australian content on streaming services.
(The Sydney Morning Herald)
Following a jump in streaming spending during the pandemic, a long-awaited parliamentary report has called for streaming services to allocate 20% of their local revenue to Australian content.
25. Australia’s video streaming market revenue was estimated at $1.79 billion.
Video streaming is a segment that brings a lot of money to the market’s budget, with an ever-growing revenue. The Australian video-on-demand market expanded its revenue from 1.40 billion in 2020 to $1.61 billion in the succeeding year. In comparison, the SVoD global revenue was evaluated at $83.79 billion in 2020, which then got to $93.90 billion in 2021.
Currently, it stands at about $110.28 billion, a sum dramatically higher than Australia’s present-day revenue of $1.79 billion.
26. Australia has an SVoD revenue growth of 12.3% in 2022.
Australia’s video streaming industry growth hasn’t been doing too well lately. From a revenue growth of 19.9% in 2018, it got to a pinnacle of 26.5% just two years later. After reaching its peak in 2020, numbers have plummeted, going as low as 12.3%.
At-present day, pay-per-view revenue growth has shrunken to 9.7%, while video downloads hold a share of 6.8%.
Streaming Industry Future Trends
27. Australia is projected to reach 9.2 million streaming users in 2025.
(Statista)
Analysts foresee that the SVoD industry will bloom in the near future, expanding its number of streamers. Moreover, the Australian user growth will go up from the current 8.6 million users to 9.3 million in 2026. An increase in streamers is also expected in the global video-on-demand market, going from 1.186 billion users to 1.486 in 2026.
Bottom Line
Online video streaming has a lot of advantages that paid TV does not bring to the table, and for a low monthly price. Consequently, it’s attracting a significant number of people, especially millennials. This global craze quickly spread to Oceania, creating an industry that doesn’t stop blooming, as shown by various video streaming in Australia statistics.
- ACMA
- iTWire
- Screen Australia
- Social Research Centre
- Statista
- Statista
- Statista
- Statista
- Statista
- Statista
- Statista
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- The Sydney Morning Herald
