Streaming platforms intend to reach new and older audiences; telecom operators’ to increase their breadth of services while offsetting decline in linear TV relevancy; and both of them are looking to increase stickiness. As a result, Telco-SVOD partnerships bloomed and reinvented themselves, from simple add-ons, to expanded TV packages, sign up offers, and hard bundles. Our survey shows that more than half the individuals in France, Germany, and the UK already get a streaming subscription as part of their telco package. This figure rises to two thirds in the UK, where Sky, Vodafone, and EE, among others, have been aggressively hard bundling them. Take-up in such offers directly correlates with age, skewing to 3 out of 4 subscribing to a bundle among individuals under 45. Although this figure might reflect differences in awareness, alongside the actual intent to get these deals, this appears like a generational trend, inexorable in the long term: younger individuals are more likely to get access to streaming services through their operator. Higher-income households are also more likely to opt for bundled offers. Income correlates to stacking: 58% of individuals in households earning above 60 000€ or £ net a year get multiple subscriptions in their package, against 45% for the lower bracket. Due to these combined sociodemographic elements, telco bundles are over-represented in households with a Smart TV set (67% against 40%). Smart TVs having eased cord-cutting by bypassing the need for set-top boxes, reaching such households is especially relevant for legacy TV distributors. Netflix is the clear winner of this evolution of content distribution. It is the most cited in each of the three countries, with more than 1 in 4 respondents having access to it through a bundle. Yet, flexible bundles that allow switching services every month have been well installed in the Nordics, and are now gaining ground in Central and Eastern Europe and Benelux. These next-gen bundles open the door for more omnivorous consumption patterns, while reinforcing Telcos’ value as a distributor. Discover more granular data about these partnership by SVOD service, telecom operator, bundle type, and connectivity segment on our dashboard OTT Partnerships tracker.
