Luke Durham, CTO at Switch Media, looks at how the pandemic has helped both SVoD and AVoD services find even bigger audiences
By Contributor
Published: May 6, 2021 Updated: May 7, 2021
Luke Durham, CTO at Switch Media, looks at how the pandemic has helped both SVoD and AVoD services find even bigger audiences
target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin>
OTT has boomed over the past 12 months as more of us have turned to television as our main source of entertainment through the Covid-19 pandemic. Reports from around the world have shown huge uptake of various entertainment services. An Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA) report published in January shows that in the UK video streaming and downloads were up nearly 40 per cent and that people turned to digital music, video and games in record numbers during the lockdown in 2020, increasing entertainment revenues by 16.8 per cent to a record £9.05 billion. It was the fastest growth rate since records began, driven above all by digital services, which saw revenues increase by £1.4 billion over 2019 to a new high of £7.8 billion. It's not just the UK that saw a sharp increase in digital growth; figures like these are reflected globally and OTT television is a major part of that trend.
The AVoD AttractionBecause of this, the choices in OTT subscription options are expanding all the time with subscriptions now available for a wide variety of services and products fitness, education, health and wellness, cooking, and live entertainment you name it, you can subscribe to it. But we're now starting to see some subscription fatigue, where consumers are beginning to tire of signing up for an increasing number of subscriptions. We all want a variety of television content that we can watch when, where and how we want, but we also expect the option to either pay for SVoD exclusive and/or ad free content, or sign up to AVoD services and watch ads to access content for free. With this in mind, what impact is AVoD TV having on the media and entertainment market? And how prepared are we to watch ads to get content free of charge?
Deloitte's Digital Media Trends Survey, 14th Edition, which was published at the end of May 2020 to assess the impact of Covid-19 on US consumers and their media consumption, shows that countries are coming round to the idea of AVoD at different speeds. In Asia, ad-supported streaming services dominate. And, in the United States, services have leaned toward premium monthly subscriptions with no ads. However, the survey showed that, 47 per cent of US consumers currently use at least one free ad-supported streaming video service. Prior to and since the Covid-19 pandemic, More US consumers want cheaper, ad-supported streaming video options. Europe is definitely a bit further behind in the AVoD stakes but many broadcasters - including ITV Hub and 4OD in the UK - are successfully streaming content using an AVOD approach.
And this is not just limited to the major broadcasters. At the beginning of March, the UK saw the launch of SportsTribal TV, the first free, AVoD TV service specialising 100 per cent in sports-themed content. It provides 24/7 linear sports channels with no sign-up or registration and it will feature sports including motorcross, MMA, world poker, college sports and more, with new channels being added every week. Being able to watch what you want, when you want without signing up or paying is a very attractive option.
In Australia, Freeview recently launched its HbbTV AVoD service, which allows viewers to seamlessly browse and search for thousands of programmes including entire TV series, made available by Freeview's member free to air broadcasters, at no cost to the subscriber. Delivery of the new service was facilitated by Switch Media. In the US, Amazon recently announced IMDb TV which is a free, ad-supported streaming service, available on Chromecast with Google TV and other Android TV OS devices. Documentary+ from studio XTR, in partnership with the late Zappos founder Tony Hsieh, is a new AVoD service that's available for free worldwide. It provides short and long-form documentaries covering politics, comedy, pop culture, science and more.
To provide a larger range of services and options, some broadcasters are looking at a tiered approach like NBC Universal's Peacock platform, which has an ad-supported base plan offering mostly free content. For additional content, customers can choose a Premium subscription offering which is ad-free.
With the trend for AVoD growing fast, the time is now for global broadcasters who can grasp new advertising revenue stream opportunities, repurpose content and keep eyeballs firmly on their channels.
New Verticals Adopt OTTAs well as the AVoD transition, another trend that we've seen in the last 12 months is the growth in smaller enterprises or individuals streaming tailored content to reach new and existing customers, particularly during global lockdowns. Earlier this year, Applicaster published its list of eleven 2021 OTT predictions and number six on that list was Corona's silver lining drives new verticals to OTT . The report says, Our industry is expanding. Sports leagues and teams, fitness and wellness, live music and faith are now streaming experiences to the living room. In 2021, we'll see some (if not all) of these genres evolve into verticals of their own. Covid-19 lockdowns have accelerated the move for the in-person events (concerts, religious services, workouts), and at the same time, teams and people-as-brands are getting savvier in retaining their own content and streaming rights.
We absolutely agree with this. Throughout the pandemic we've seen more and more companies and individuals successfully use online video platforms to diversify their brands. Many creative online en
Most recent headlines
09/11/2025
Dalet today announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natura...
15/10/2025
Across the world, early-career reporters are interrogating systems that shape daily life, from mortuaries and classrooms to the corridors of legal education and...
15/10/2025
St. Louis Blues Pay Tribute to Ozzy Osbourne in New Pregame Open VideoThe NHL franchise worked with production firms 2WEI and 4th Floor CreativeBy Mark J Burns,...
15/10/2025
Cobalt Digital, G3DVu, Proxima Vision, and Telos Alliance Renew Premier Sponsors...
15/10/2025
By Paige Bethmann
Before my grandmother passed away in 2019, I went to visit her in the hospital where she'd been for a few weeks. When I arrived, the nurs...
15/10/2025
Two years ago, Spotify set out to grow the entire publishing industry by making ...
15/10/2025
People turn to DJ for a listening experience that feels personal, dynamic, and j...
15/10/2025
Las personas recurren a DJ para vivir una experiencia de escucha personal, din m...
15/10/2025
Rock legend Bruce Springsteen and luminary actor Jeremy Allen White came togethe...
15/10/2025
At Spotify, we're all about supporting rising talent and helping them connec...
15/10/2025
New SBS Documentary Series THE CANCER KILLERS Premieres 4 November on SBS & SBS ...
15/10/2025
SBS celebrates the Festivals of Lights with bold, illuminating stories across th...
15/10/2025
One of humanity's most profound questions continues: Is there any place in our galaxy suitable for life beyond Earth? NASA intends to find out, with the hel...
15/10/2025
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
15/10/2025
Scality, a global leader in cyber-resilient storage software for the AI era, today announced the advancement of its comprehensive AI ecosystem certification pro...
15/10/2025
The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) today unveiled key highlights of the 2026 HPA Tech Retreat, scheduled for Feb. 15 19 at the Westin Rancho Mirage Go...
15/10/2025
At NAB Show New York 2025 (Stand 244), Interra Systems will showcase the future of media QC, monitoring, and captioning, highlighting its award-winning, AI- and...
15/10/2025
Grass Valley today announced that RMC BFM, part of the CMA-CGM Group and France's third-largest private media group, has chosen Grass Valley's productio...
15/10/2025
Appear, the global leader in live production technology, will demonstrate how its powerful hardware and software innovations are shaping the future of hybrid, s...
15/10/2025
Rakim to Join Berklee's Hip-Hop Hall of Fame at Signature Series Concert The rap icon becomes the latest inductee, following luminaries such as Roxanne Sh...
15/10/2025
Berklee Brings Live Music to the Head of the Charles Student artists will perform on multiple riverfront stages during the 60th anniversary of the world's...
15/10/2025
CobbTV, the government access television channel for Cobb County, Ga. recently acquired an automated playout system from Pebble, a global provider of automation...
15/10/2025
OSLO, Norway Appear, the global leader in live production technology, will demonstrate how its powerful hardware and software innovations are shaping the future...
15/10/2025
NEW YORK The NBA is making major changes to the NBA App and NBA TV as it takes control of them from TNT Sports, which has long managed the league's digital ...
15/10/2025
SAN MATEO, Calif. In what promises to be a major expansion of interactive features and personalized content on the DirecTV platform, the operator and Glance hav...
15/10/2025
SAN JOSE, Calif. Roku has launched changes to its user interface (UI) that the streaming platform says will better showcase original programming on the platform...
15/10/2025
LOS ANGELES Software-defined data storage and data services provider OpenDrives has elevated Alex Dunfey to chief technology officer, responsible for driving th...
15/10/2025
Abu Dhabi, UAE October 15, 2025: Space42 (ADX: SPACE42), the UAE-based AI-powe...
15/10/2025
Sheldon Nichols and Will Trickett to find and prepare more classic cars for budget conscious would-be owners from Wiser Films
UKTV have recommissioned the clas...
15/10/2025
Wednesday 15 October 2025
Nick Cave
JPEG (275 KB)
Explore the creative univer...
15/10/2025
Wednesday 15 October 2025
From breaking up with your partner to quitting your job - new polling shows some messages are just too scary to send
Over a fifth (...
15/10/2025
Rohde & Schwarz unveils compact MXO 3 oscilloscopes with 4 and 8 channels: Advan...
15/10/2025
Back to All News
Revenge Series The Resurrected' Captivates Audiences Across Asia
Entertainment
15 October 2025
GlobalTaiwan
Link copied to clipboard
...
15/10/2025
Back to All News
Bringing the Best in VFX and Virtual Production Together as Eyeline
Jeffrey Shapiro
CEO, Eyeline
Business
15 October 2025
GlobalCanadaInd...
15/10/2025
Deployed by Astound Business Solutions, Harmonic's Primary Distribution Solution Ensures Outstanding Video Quality and Seamless Ad Insertion at the Edge
SA...
15/10/2025
Collaboration extends a trusted relationship as RMC BFM invests in scalable, fut...
15/10/2025
Series coming in 2026 stars Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, Justine Mitchell and Jason O'Mara released today
RT today released first look images of new comedy-drama ...
14/10/2025
SVG Europe Summit 2025: All Sessions Now Available to Watch on SVG PLAYNetworking event that preceded IBC2025 shone a light on elite live sports innovation acro...
14/10/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Author Rich Podolsky on Writing Madden & Summerall: How They Revo...
14/10/2025
SVG All-Stars: Michael Reiners, Coordinating Producer, FloRacingThe Illinois State grad steers a vast schedule of motorsports events at tracks across the countr...
14/10/2025
Content protection: Getting the right management for your DRM By Neal Romanek
Friday, October 10, 2025 - 10:11
Print This Story
Eluvio power the EPCR'...
14/10/2025
As League Takes Over Ops, NBA TV and NBA App Add 60 Games, Weekday Studio Show, ...
14/10/2025
Time and effort: World's largest student-led broadcast prepares to go On Air...
14/10/2025
(L-R) Guest, Kimberly Robinson Jones, Geeta Gandbhir, Pamela Dias, and Takema Ro...
14/10/2025
Lossless ist jetzt mit Spotify Premium verf gbar.
Verlustfreies Audio war eine...
14/10/2025
La qualit Lossless est disponible sur Spotify Premium.
Le format sans perte de...
14/10/2025
For the seventh edition of Spotify and FC Barcelona's artist jersey series, ...
14/10/2025
Spotify is committed to bringing the best listening experience to all our users, and that includes parents and families. That's why we're expanding mana...
14/10/2025
Since its debut, the Spotify Original podcast Caso 63 has been more than just a story; it's been a cultural sensation. The science fiction thriller captivat...
Luke Durham, CTO at Switch Media, looks at how the pandemic has helped both SVoD and AVoD services find even bigger audiences
