Streaming services on the upswing at Corona: Usage up sharply

The use of streaming services has increased again in Switzerland - even among the dominant providers Netflix and Spotify. Meanwhile, 89 percent of the population uses at least one of the 22 streaming services surveyed. "Due to a lack of leisure alternatives, streaming videos and music has become even more popular during the Corona crisis," says Rolf Beyeler, the telecom expert at moneyland.ch.

Since January 2020, the giants YouTube have grown strongly by 10 percentage points from 65% to 75% and Netflix by 9 percentage points from 45% to 54%. Amazon Prime Video also grew from 7% to 10% and Sky Sport from 4% to 6%. Among music streaming services, Spotify grew from 35% to 44%, Soundcloud from 8% to 11%, Apple Music from 15% to 16%, and Deezer from 5% to 6%.

75% of the Swiss population now use YouTube. Compared to the 2020 survey, this is a significant increase of 10 percentage points. The vast majority use Youtube as a free version - only 4% of the population use the paid version. Young people use Youtube significantly more often than older people: 94% of the 19- to 25-year-old respondents watch Youtube videos. Among 50- to 74-year-olds, the figure is 61%.

Netflix dominates among pay services

Netflix has grown significantly in Switzerland in recent years. At 54%, more than half are now using Netflix. A year ago, the figure was 45% and in April 2018, 20%. Meanwhile, 39% of the population use Netflix in a paid version. This is by far the highest figure for paid streaming services in Switzerland. 15% of respondents said they use Netflix for free - 12% for free via friends. Young people watch series and movies on Netflix significantly more often than the older population. 83% of 18- to 25-year-olds use Netflix, 62% of 25- to 49-year-olds and 33% of 50- to 74-year-olds.

Newcomer Disney+ already ahead of Amazon Prime Video

The Disney+ streaming service was launched in Switzerland around a year ago. In January 2021 - around ten months after the launch - 13% now say in the Moneyland survey that they use Disney+. This makes Disney+ the second largest classic video streaming service after Netflix. Disney+ has thus also overtaken Amazon Prime Video (10%).

Tiktok strongly on the rise

Another newcomer is Tiktok. The app combines short videos with social media. Tiktok has quickly established itself as a popular leisure app, especially among young people. In the survey, Tiktok is also the most popular among the youngest age group surveyed, between 18 and 25. Already 35% of respondents in this age group say they use Tiktok. That is the third-best figure in this age group after YouTube (94 %) and Netflix (83%). Across all age groups, 13.3% of respondents say they use Tiktok.

Youtube also for listening to music

62% of respondents say they listen to music via YouTube. Although most respondents do not use the paid service YouTube Music, they also use the classic YouTube service to listen to music. There are also clear differences between the various age groups when it comes to listening to music via YouTube: Among young 18- to 25-year-olds, 79% listen to music via YouTube, among 26- to 49-year-olds the figure is 68% and among 50- to 74-year-olds it is still 49%.

Spotify is the most popular music streaming payment service

Spotify has also grown significantly in Switzerland in recent years. 44% said in this year's survey that they use Spotify. A year ago, the figure was 35%, and three years ago 20%. Spotify is especially popular among young people: 78% of 18- to 25-year-olds listen to Spotify. Among 26- to 49-year-olds, the figure is 52%, and among 50- to 74-year-olds, only 22%. 89% of respondents say they use at least one streaming service. Among young respondents aged 18 to 25, all respondents use at least one streaming service. However, 96% of 26- to 49-year-old respondents and 77% of 50- to 74-year-old respondents also use at least one music or video streaming service.

Moneyland.ch conducted the survey in January 2021 together with the market research institute among 1500 people and compared it with the survey results of 2018 and 2020.