Attention recession impacts on D2C growth

Weekly active user (WAU) penetration for the top streaming services is now slowing with quarter-on-quarter growth effectively flat for the leading subscription video on demand (SVOD) services. Peak attention is now clearly here for video. The looming attention recession, which is already impacting the wider digital entertainment landscape, will exacerbate the greater underlying disengagement trends such as cancelling subscriptions that are starting to impact on video. Average weekly hours for SVOD are marginally down from hours in 2021 to hours in 2022. Nonetheless, the increasing moves to add an entry-level ad tier to SVOD services are likely to also increase cancellations from the of consumers who skip ads. WAUs can thus be expected to decline in 2022 as subscribers disengage with both their attention and their wallets.

Companies and brands mentioned in this report: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, Disney+, ESPN+, Facebook Video, Formula HBO Max, Hulu, Meta, Netflix, Paramount+, Spotify, Snap, Pluto Tv, Tubi, and YouTube

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