Foreign language viewing in English-speaking countries has grown 25% since 2020. Almost 9-in-10 are ad tolerant, provided the ad load is reasonable. And 3-in-10 SVOD viewers will add a new service to watch the Olympics.
Netflix opens English speakers to the world!
Non-English language content has always been a key strategy for Netflix. Of course, its worldwide presence necessitates the creation of local content in local languages to engage international viewers. However, the company has always tried to leverage great local content in markets worldwide. Co-CEO Ted Sarandos characterized the approach in the Q2 2024 earnings call:
“And when they really, really thrill the local audience, there’s a possibility, and sometimes a probability, that they could find a gigantic audience all over the world, including in North America.”
The company’s list of foreign language hits in English-speaking countries is long, including Squid Games, Lupin, and, more recently, Under Paris.
No other major content distributor has brought so much great foreign language content into the living rooms of English-speaking audiences. Moreover, Netflix subscribers are lapping it up. According to new research from Ampere Analysis, the demand for foreign language content has increased by almost a quarter in Australia, Canada, the UK, and the USA over the last four years. The biggest growth was experienced by the 45-64 age group, where the proportion of people saying they frequently watched non-English content grew from 30% to 41% between Q1 2020 and Q1 2024. But other age groups experienced similarly impressive gains.
Most will tolerate ads within limits!
New Hub Entertainment Research data shows that more US viewers are willing to tolerate ads when watching TV. In June 2021, 17% said they couldn’t tolerate ads, but that number fell to 12% in June 2024. The steady erosion in the number of ad-intolerant viewers could be due to increasing ad exposure, whether desired or not. For example, when Prime Video started showing ads to all users by default in January 2024, the proportion of 
people saying they used any ad-free streaming service fell from 84% to 58%. FAST services are also somewhat involved in accustoming viewers to ads. The proportion of US households watching FAST services exceeded 50% for the first time at the beginning of 2024.
Hub offers a reason for growing ad tolerance. The company says more than three-quarters agree that there is a big difference between how much advertising they see on some TV services versus others. Moreover, they have noticed which services offer the lightest ad loads. 53% say that AVOD services offer a better ad experience than others, while only 23% say the same of traditional pay TV.
Services should care about keeping ad loads reasonable if they want to keep their advertisers happy. 71% of people who considered the ad load reasonable in a service said they enjoyed the experience versus 43% of those who thought the ad load unreasonable. What is more, 77% of those comfortable with the ad load said they pay attention to the ads versus 55% of those uncomfortable with the ad load.
The Olympics could be a boon to streaming subscriptions
New Bango research shows that 29% of US SVOD subscribers plan to sign up for a streaming service to watch the Olympics. The broad appeal of the Olympics outside of traditional sports fans could encourage people who have cut the cord and focused on entertainment-only services like Netflix and Philo to reevaluate their TV service options. Peacock is the cheapest option to watch, with an entry-level price of $9.99 a month. However, higher-priced vMVPDs like YouTube TV, Sling TV, and Fubo could also benefit.
During the games’ opening ceremony, most of the people intending to sign up for new services likely hadn’t done it yet. NBCU reports that 28.6 million watched the opening ceremony, but only 2.5 million streamed it on Peacock. However, according to AdImpact, 40% streamed the live ceremony coverage, which occurred outside of primetime. (NBCU reported live and time-delayed Primetime broadcast of the opening ceremony.)
