There has been a significant increase in older Irish people subscribing to streaming services, according to a new report released today.
Around 43pc of over-65s said they had access to at least one video on demand subscription-based service in 2020, compared to 27pc in 2019.
Overall, theres only been a 4pc increase in the general population for people who now have a streaming service, the newest Deloitte Irelands Digital Consumer Trends report found.
Commenting on the report, Deloitte Audit Partner John Kehoe, said: Of particular interest is the rise in online subscription services among over-65s.
While this group traditionally had low engagement with such services, the pandemic restrictions seem to have gone some way to bridge that gap as consumers in this demographic have come to rely more on technology over the last 12 months.
Netflix was the most popular streaming service at 56pc, while Prime Video saw the biggest year-on-year increase with 18pc (up by 9pc). These were followed in popularity by Disney+ – which was only just launched in 2020 – at 19pc, and Now TV at 8pc.
The reports participants were asked to consider whether they would be happy to pay half price for a subscription service if that meant they would have to watch some ads. A third said that they would prefer to pay the full subscription fee and not have to watch ads.
In particular, younger respondents were notably less tolerant of ads, with 47pc of 18-24s and 48pc of 25-34s preferring to pay full price for no ads.
As for music streaming services, 46pc of participants said they had access to them, up by 4pc since 2019. Spotify was the most popular music streaming service at 33pc, an increase by 2pc compared to 2019. This was followed by Amazon Music at 9pc and Apple Music at 8pc.
Only 30pc of respondents had access to a newspaper or magazine subscription, which was actually a decrease of 2pc year-on-year.
When it came to watching short videos, mobile phones were the preferred device across all age groups except 55-64s, who preferred laptops, and over-65s, who preferred tablets.
For playing games, all age groups preferred to use a mobile phone except for 18-24s, who preferred to use a gaming console, and over-65s, who preferred to use a tablet.
Mr Kehoe also discussed the reports results regarding devices, saying: While mobile devices continue to increase in popularity as a way for consumers to enjoy various forms of entertainment, advertisers should not underestimate the continuing power of the TV, especially since stay-at-home restrictions have put paid to the on-the-go-lifestyle of most consumers. The 9pc rise observed in ownership of smart TVs is further evidence of this.
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