Netflix overtakes YouTube in US

Original content such as Netflix’s House of Cards has driven willingness to pay for on-demand video

Netflix has usurped Google-owned YouTube as the most watched online video-on-demand service, according to new research.

A report from UK-based Ampere Analysis shows that Netflix has 47% of eyeballs in the US for VoD content while YouTube has 42%.

Behind YouTube in the US were Amazon Instant Video (22%), Hulu (19%) and Facebook (15%).

The research was conducted in the first quarter of this year, with 1,500 nationally representative internet users aged 18-65 in the US.

However, YouTube still enjoys the biggest share of eyeballs in the UK with a 43% share, according to the research. BBC iPlayer takes the second spot with 36% while Netflix lies in third with 20%.

Richard Broughton, research director at Ampere Analysis, said: “Although broadcaster-led free online video services are prominent in the UK, exclusive series on subscription services like Netflix and Amazon Prime are driving willingness to pay for content, and over time this will penetrate the older viewer population who have traditionally been reluctant to spend online.

“Furthermore, despite the fact people can watch content on a number of devices, it is the larger TV screens that attract the most eyeballs in both markets for VoD, and that’s even the case for the heaviest viewers – illustrating that despite the growth in app-based viewing on mobile devices, ensuring good quality of experience on connected TV devices and smart TVs remains crucial.”

The report also suggests that the viewing of content on tablets, smartphones and TVs is much more common in the US than in the UK.