BARCELONA, Spain—Streaming providers around the world are continually building out their infrastructure to reduce latency and disruption for consumers. And according to NPAW, a provider of streaming video intelligence services, the results are already starting to show.
The first six months of 2024 saw a major improvement in the quality of experience across the globe, with buffering rates for video-on-demand (VOD) services dropping 54% compared to the same period last year, according to the company’s Video Streaming Industry Report for H1 2024. This KPI illustrates a global shift in the quality of streaming video services. It is also indicative of the global commitment of OTTs, telcos and broadcasters to deliver better streaming quality, according to NPAW.
The buffer rate for linear television also improved significantly in the first half of 2024, with a global decline of 34% compared to the first half of 2023 and 24% compared to the second half of 2023. In the Asia region alone, the buffer rate fell by 35%.
“Telecom companies, broadcasters and OTTs are investing heavily, improving the overall quality of the streaming video landscape. With new players entering the market on a regular basis, competition is getting much tougher. We are seeing the world rapidly moving away from traditional television and towards streaming providers,” said Ferran G. Vilaró, CEO and co-founder of NPAW.
The report examines the current state of the video streaming industry both globally and regionally, comparing engagement and quality data from the first half of 2024 with that from the same period in 2023. The data analyzed was collected from the NPAW suite for the period January to June 2024 and compared with data from January to June 2023. Advertising data was also collected from January to June 2024.
To access this report, please download Here.