BBC reports that 10,000 programs are watched online every day

European broadcasters’ streaming platforms are superior to global streamers in terms of depth of content, research agency Glance reported this week in Cannes during the Mipcom TV exchange.

“Everyone is a streamer, even the broadcasters,” said Frédéric Vaulpré, senior VP at Glance diversity at a cafe at the Riviera resort, referring to a process he calls “platformization.” “Broadcasters are now acting as streamers, and streamers are starting to act as broadcasters too,” he said, mentioning that streamers are adding live events such as concerts and sports competitions, as well as entertainment shows such as quizzes and talent shows, to their rich buffet of content.

The broadcasters’ streaming platforms have evolved from pure catch-up services to providers of 360-degree content, whose platforms include television shows, live stage shows, podcasts and even digital versions of print publications, he cited Auvio as an example , the streaming platform of the Belgian broadcaster RTBF.

The business models vary, of course: some have no advertising, some have advertising and others have a subscription level, such as ARD, whose subscription level costs 4.99 euros per month. For German public broadcasting, this is an opportunity to monetize popular programs such as the crime thriller “Tatort”.

“A strength of the public broadcaster platforms is the fact that you have access to a very extensive catalog,” said Vaulpré.

Looking at the first half of this year compared to the same period in 2023, the BBC’s streaming platform iPlayer recorded 10,000 shows per day in the UK – a 2.5x increase in two years – in comparison to Netflix with 4,800, Prime Video with 2,400 and Disney+ with 900.

BBC broadcasters reported 1,000 programs broadcast per day, an increase of 0.8-fold in two years.

Broadcasters’ platforms attract a slightly younger audience than their linear services: the average age of ITV’s linear service is 59, while the average age of ITVX’s VOD service is 51, but the gap is narrowing. ITVX’s average age has increased by four years since 2023, while the average age of the linear service’s viewers remains constant.

Western Europe continues to see a decline in linear television consumption. In the UK, each person watched an average of two hours and 20 minutes of linear television every day, four minutes less than the previous year. All other Western European countries are now below three hours per day, with the exception of Italy, where it is around last year’s level at three hours and 35 minutes.