Netflix conquers Spain: neither YouTube nor pay TV is watched as often at home, according to study

Netflix is experiencing a great moment in Spain and the statistics confirm it. The streaming platform topped the domestic audience rankings. surpassing YouTube and other platforms. But you also need to check the available pay TV alternatives.

Kantar Media has published a very interesting analysis of audience distribution in Spain in December 2023. The study focused on television content consumption, where Netflix managed to surpass YouTube as the public’s preferred option.

Although online platforms still significantly outnumber linear TV in terms of consumption, audience distribution shows that Netflix ended the year in an enviable manner in the Spanish market.

According to Kantar Media, 83.8% of audiences have switched to traditional television consumption. Of this figure, 77.8% were traditional TV channels. Bye 6% corresponded to pay TV alternatives..

In turn, online video services captured 16.2% of television audiences in Spanish homes last December. Netflix had the largest share, capturing 5.1% of the audience. and overtaking YouTube, which came in second with 4.2%. Followed by Amazon Prime Video (2.5%), Disney+ (1.3%) and HBO Max (0.6%). The remaining 2.6% was segmented into other similar offers, so Kantar grouped them into the “Other” section.

Netflix surpasses YouTube and puts pressure on pay TV options in Spain

As we noted earlier, Kantar Media’s analysis focuses on TVs and connected TVs. So when we talk about Netflix surpassing YouTube in terms of audience in Spain, we have to keep in mind that this is happening on these types of devices. Studying does not include consumption on computers, smartphones and tabletswhere the level of consumption of the Google service is undoubtedly much higher.

But aside from Netflix being the preferred platform for Spaniards to access online content from their television, it is very interesting that Netflix is ​​positioning itself above pay TV options.

It’s true that pay TV captured 6% of December audiences, compared to Netflix’s 5.1%. But the fact is also that what Kantar represents is uniform data from all operators who today provide this service in Spain. And given how fragmented the market is, it makes sense to assume that none of the available alternatives will attract as many audiences as Netflix.

Let’s put this into context. In October 2023, Movistar Plus+ had 3.42 million subscribers in Spain. They are followed by Vodafone TV (1.42 million) and Orange TV (1.3 million), to name the three most important offerings. Even though Movistar is the strongest player in this segment, it is clear that, hopefully, Today it includes no more than half of the 6% of the population that leans toward pay television..

So what Netflix has achieved in Spain, by being more viewed than YouTube on TV and by testing the possibilities of TV subscriptions, should not be taken lightly. It will be interesting to see if the platform manages to maintain and expand its leadership in the Spanish market during 2024.