Lead by Netflix, Streaming Media Service Subscriptions Double in Brazil

12/20/2016 - 23h27

Between April and November of 2016, the percentage of Brazilian internauts who subscribe to entertainment services (video and music) on their smartphones doubled.

According to research from Panorama Mobile time/Opinion Box, the percentage went from 19% to 40%.

In first place among these 40%, "by far", as Fernando Paiva, research coordinator, says, is Netflix, with 59%.

Next is Spotify with 24%, then Deezer with 3%, and both of these are music services. Globo Play has nearly 3%. Others, like Premiere Play, also from the Globo Group, have shares of around 1% or "don't even show up on the graph".

The research doesn't identify the reason for the jump in subscriptions by consumers, but Paiva believes that it is due to the economic crisis.

"Netflix, which is much cheaper than cable television, is the leader", he explains

The research helps explain why two American competitors of Netflix, Amazon and HBO, launched in the Brazilian Market in December.

It also explains why Netflix recently started enabling the download of movies and series for offline viewing, which opens up its reach to consumers with lower levels of income.

As of September, Netflix had been in Brazil, which was its first international market, for five years.

The company has started investing in the production of Brazilian content, destined for other markets as well, starting with the series "3%".

In an interview, Erik Barmack, the Vice President for international series which is headquartered in Los Gatos, California, agreed that "there is a massive audience in Brazil itself and a very important audience outside of Brazil, who have never seen a Brazilian series before and also loved the program".

Translated by LLOYD HARDER

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