MTV and Nickelodeon ratings drop 23% because of Netflix!
Netflix and streaming services are starting to have a major impact on traditional TV viewing. Total live TV ratings were down 12.7 percent year over year across the major media networks, according to Nomoura Research.
Nomura analyst Anthony DiClemente argued that this was “one of the worst declines we have seen since we have launched coverage of these companies.”
But, this begs the question: Why is live TV struggling? DiClemente asserts that streaming services is the reason for the major decline: “Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, and Hulu, continue to siphon viewers away from linear TV,” he concluded.
However, There are major differences between individual networks. January was a horrible month for Viacom, which saw ratings decline by 23 percent compared to January 2014, with MTV and Nickelodeon suffering major declines. While, Disney only faced ratings declines of 7.5 percent, thanks in part to great ratings for ESPN.
Nickelodeon executives have noticed the drop in ratings and plan on creating a standalone streaming app.
Viacom chief executive Philippe Dauman told an earnings conference call the new “direct-to-consumer subscription service” would be launched in March.
“We believe this innovative service, which will have a distinct brand and will target the fast-growing mobile market, will be very attractive for parents and children,” Dauman said, noting that details will be announced next month. [via]
Numbers like these show that online video viewing is steadily increasing and live TV is dying. Research shows that the average person watches an average of 90 minutes of Netflix programming every day.
What do you think? Discuss this story with fellow Project Casting fans on Facebook. On Twitter, follow us at @projectcasting.
