People who add streaming services to their pay-TV subscription are more satisfied than cord-cutters, according to a survey by J.D. Power.
Power’s 2016 Streaming Video Satisfaction Study found that the number of cord-cutters is growing and now account for 13% of streaming video users. But most streamers have not downgraded their pay-TV package. Power calls those 60% of streaming video viewers “cord stackers.”
The survey found that 23% of customers are cord shavers and 4% are cord-nevers.
The cord-cutters had the lowest satisfaction level among streaming video customers, registering a 802 score on a 1,000 point scale. Cord nevers were at 807, cord shavers were 822 and cord stackers scored 826.
The elements of satisfaction included the performance and reliability of the service, content, cost, ease of use, communication and customer service.
“The streaming video customer experience appears to be stratifying across the different subscriber segments, with pay TV service still having a major effect on overall streaming video experience,” said Kirk Parsons, senior director and technology, media & telecom practice leader at J.D. Power. “Part of the reason is demographics. Customers who only stream are younger than those who also have TV. Nearly two-fifths (37%) of those who only stream are 18-34 years old compared with 30% among those who also have TV. Notably, more than half (52%) of cord nevers are 18-34. Also, streaming-only customers are less likely to use transaction-based streaming services, which perform higher in content satisfaction.”
The survey found that 62% of streaming customers have used a service to binge watch or view multiple episodes in succession. Satisfaction among binge watchers is 35 points higher than among those who don’t binge watch. And the longer the binges, the more satisfied the viewer is.
TV is the primary viewing device for 65% of streaming customers. A laptop or desktop computer was the primary screen for 55% and 48% mainly used a mobile device. Power says that 56% of viewers use multiple devices to watch streaming video.
The survey also found that the provider streamers were most satisfied with was Netflix. Netflix ranked first in customer service, performance, cost and ease of use. It ranked second, behind Apple iTunes for content and communication.
