At least 2.8 million Czechs aged 15–69 watch the paid VOD services like Netflix, HBO Max, or Disney+ several times a month, with an average of 2.3 services being used concurrently by each user.
According to Pavel Müller, Head of Research & Marketing at Atmedia, there’s a significant amount of users who are watching content for free.
“While subscribers cover the cost of 78% of SVOD accesses, a significant one-fifth of connections involves users watching content for free via shared accounts with their acquaintances or friends”.
Müller adds that in the second half of 2023, one streamer reported 14% of its subscriber base to be non-payers, while for another it was a quarter.
Users of paid VOD services typically share their accounts between two people, although it’s not uncommon for groups of five or more individuals to share a single account. For certain streaming services, up to 15% of users who use shared accounts belong to groups of five or more people. However, the use of shared accounts doesn’t necessarily imply that users watch their preferred series and movies entirely for free. About half of these users contribute towards their friends’ subscription costs, often contributing higher tens of crowns per month.
The most used paid VoD services on the Czech market have long been Netflix, Voyo, HBO Max, Disney+ and prima+.
Users of paid VOD services most often share their accounts in groups of two, but groups of five or more are no exception. For some streaming services, up to 15% of those who share accounts report sharing one account with five or more people.
On the other hand, users who directly pay for paid VOD services to the service provider and do not use shared accounts, did spend an average of 334 CZK per month in the latter half of last year.
In contrast to the Czech VOD service market, Slovaks are less prone to sharing subscription accounts. ‘Among all accesses to paid VOD services, 15% are shared, indicating a five-percentage-point difference compared to the Czech market,’ explains Müller, adding that otherwise, the Slovak market for paid video libraries mirrors the Czech one. Similar to the Czech Republic, 42% of Slovaks aged 15–69 are active users of paid VOD services, amounting to 1,4 million individuals. On average, each user subscribes to 2 services simultaneously, with popular options including Netflix, Voyo, HBO Max, Disney+, Sky Showtime, and JOJ Play.
Atmedia VOD Infographic
Source: mediaguru.cz, broadbandtvnews.com
