Alice in Platform-Land
Without realizing it, Mexican households have fallen into the wonderful world of OTT platforms and have lost their heads.Mexican users accidentally fell into a hole and arrived in a peculiar world full of a wide variety of streaming platforms, becoming one of the countries with the biggest subscriber growth in Latin America. In October 2015, 52 platforms were identified, and by the end of 2022, 109 On Demand platforms were found, and 91% of Mexican households with fixed broadband internet indicated watching movies, series, or events online.
After the pandemic, platforms began to compete with daily activities and how users invest their time and money. Going to the cinema, for example, is a rival for streaming platforms. However, it was identified that Mexican households with fixed internet use an average of 6.2 On Demand platforms, including all business models. They also dedicate 5.32 hours during the week and 4.61 hours on weekends to watching video platforms. 35% of households indicate that they usually go to the cinema and dedicate 3.21 and 3.45 hours to it, respectively.
With so many players, it’s questionable whether many On Demand platforms will have a space in the Mexican market and, more importantly, how platforms will differentiate themselves from their competition. By the end of 2015, only 9% of households in Mexico consumed OTT platforms, and in 4Q 2022 it increased to 26%, registering more than 9.4M households.
OTT platforms must compete for subscribers by offering a variety of movies and series within their catalogs, original content, attractive deals, and even strategic alliances with other industries to gain market share. An example of this is the 14.77% of households in Mexico with fixed internet who pay a subscription to SVOD platforms, which they do through bills included in the cost of other services such as mobile, fixed-line, internet or Pay TV
Like any story, the characters with a very marked presence are the ones that make an impact on our memories; such is the case of ‘the Queen of Hearts’, ‘the Blue Caterpillar’, ‘the Mad Hatter’, ‘Alice’, ‘the White Rabbit’, and ‘the Cheshire Cat’. The same happens with OTT platforms in Mexico, where the top 6 SVOD platforms with the largest market share are: Netflix with 24%, followed by Amazon Prime Video (16%), Disney+ (11%), YouTube Premium (9%), HBO MAX (7%), and VIX+ (6%), according to the estimated number of households using each platform (Gross households). Each one of them, with their attributes, plays a role in the market.
Netflix, which occupies the first place among SVOD platforms and reigns in Wonderland, stands out for its original content. In December 2022, it offered 6,385 unique titles in its catalog, of which 2,924 are original content.
Amazon Prime Video is the oracle of this story, offering a very extensive library which includes 12,515 unique titles, and has an Add-Ons strategy and additional content through its Amazon Channels.
Disney+ invites us into its wonderful world full of magic, which stands out for its kid’s content. In December 2022, it offered 1,500 unique titles in its catalog, where the genres that predominated were: Comedy with 18%, Adventure with 17%, Family with 16%, and Animation with 14%.
YouTube Premium arouses curiosity in its users. Among its attributes, what 91% of its users like the most is the Interface and Navigation.
HBO MAX takes its users out of their routine and rule-filled lives to experience great adventures. Within its catalog, it offers 3,572 unique titles, where the complete ‘Harry Potter’ saga and ‘Justice League’ stand out.
VIX, with its new launch, reappeared in this world to revive telenovelas. Within its catalog of series and events, it offers 1,071 unique titles, where Drama is its main genre with 29%, and contents with more than 7 years of age represent the 41%. Some of its most relevant telenovelas are: ‘Lazos de amor’, ‘Rubí’, ‘La fea más bella’, ‘María la del barrio’, ‘Rebelde’, among others.
For these platforms to continue to lead and survive, it will depend on their “broadness”; that is, not losing their value, focus, and attributes to survive in wonderland. Surely, over the course of this year, there will be many changes in streaming platforms and if new players want to enter this world, several will have to leave.
One of the most valuable lessons from this story is that the only way to achieve the impossible is to believe that everything is possible; who could imagine that today we could access all existing content with such ease?
WRITTEN BY: Katherine Ramírez (Account Manager)
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BB Media is a global Data Science company, specializing in Media and Entertainment for over 35 years. BB Media monitors +4,500 streaming services in +250 countries and territories, their prices, plans, packages and commercial offers. In addition, all film and series catalogues, including standard metadata. Streaming services, networks, programmers, cable operators, agencies, advertisers, studios, distributors, content APPs and technology companies rely on BB Media’s information and value-added analysis to make strategic decisions.
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Source:
New Media Essentials – Households with fixed broadband internet – Mexico – 2022 4Q
Multiscreens+ |Content Pulse – Mexico – December 2022
Spending Tracker – Mexico – 2022 4Q