The impact of advertising on SVOD platforms in the Portuguese market

Abstract

Subscription video on-demand (SVOD) platforms have changed the way global television audiences consume content. It has successfully reinvented the traditional media and entertainment sectors while bringing about substantial changes in how content is produced, consumed, and distributed. This thesis aims to analyse the impact of the introduction of advertising to streaming platforms may affect subscriber behaviour in the Portuguese market. This is an observational, descriptive, and cross-sectional study with a focus on quantitative methodology, with a sample of 332 participants of both genders, aged between 16 and 34 years old and with Portuguese nationality. For data collection was used a questionnaire built specifically for this study based on the literature review carried out and includes the following parts: (i) sociodemographic characterization, (ii) identification of the current behaviour of subscribers to SVOD platforms, (iii) opinion of subscribers about the streaming services they subscribe to and (iv) interest in subscribing to new platforms through ad-subscription plans. The study revealed that the introduction of an ad-supported plan would lead to 73% increase streaming subscriptions among the sample. Furthermore, one in four of the current full-price memberships in the sample would be ‘downgraded’ to a reduced-price plan with commercials if the ad-tier plan is discounted at least 50% off the full price. Lastly, the main findings of the report will be discussed, and potential limitations and further research options acknowledged in this research project.

Date of Award	30 Jun 2023
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Peter V. Rajsingh (Supervisor)