[ Internet Usage ]
We would like to introduce the current status of video distribution in Japan.First, we will discuss the current status of the Internet, which is the basis for video distribution.According to the "FY2020 Basic Survey on Consumer Awareness" conducted by the Consumer Affairs Agency, 73% of respondents answered that they "use the Internet on a regular basis" (Figure 1). The percentage of respondents in their teens to 40s exceeded 95%.The Internet was first introduced to Japan in 1984. Since then, its use has steadily expanded, and it can be said that it has now become a daily necessity.Looking at the breakdown of Internet use, "video viewing" (78%) is second only to "information gathering" (90%). This appears to be the most mainstream of all Internet uses.
Source: "2020 Basic Survey of Consumer Awareness


[ Year-over-year comparison of video views ]
Very few respondents use the Internet for "information gathering" and "video viewing," the two most popular forms of Internet use (Figure 3), compared to a year ago, with only a minority of those who use the Internet for these two forms decreasing.While those who increased (48.3%) and those who remained the same (50.0%) were close in terms of collection use, those who increased in terms of video viewing formed the majority at 56.2%.It can be inferred that browsing videos on the Internet is now a very routine activity for consumers, just like using the Internet.ACORN Japan conducted an online survey on video subscription in March 2022 to further understand the penetration of video distribution services.
*Source: "2020 Basic Survey on Consumer Awareness

[ Subscription Status ]
The survey results (Figure 4) show that over 40% of the respondents in Japan used paid video streaming services. Looking at the share of each service, Amazon ranked first (28.8%), followed by Netflix (11.1%) and then hulu (6.5%). Unfortunately, no local Japanese operators made the top three, but Amazon's usage is 2.6 times that of the second place, so it is safe to say that it is by far the best at this point.With the exception of DAZN, each company mainly distributes general TV dramas and movies.
Source: Survey on video distribution services (1000 samples collected in March 2022, conducted by ACORN Japan)
No contract
56.2
Number of Subscriptions
N=1,000
Contracted
43.8
31.9
Number of subscriptions by content

12.3

5.2

5.1

4.4

3.9

2.8

2.7

2.3
%
N
319
123
52
51
44
39
28
27
23

[ Utilization Rate by gender and age ]
Almost every streaming service has a large number of users in their 20s and 30s, and with the exception of Amazon Prime Video, less than 10% of users are still in their 40s and beyond.For Netflix and Hulu, women in their 20s and 30s are almost equally likely to use the services, while men are mainly in their 20s.

20~29

30~39

40~49

50~59

60~69




hulu
13.0
10.8
9.2
10.4
3.4
6.1
3.1
5.2
2.7
5.9
Amazon
36.4
36.5
27.6
34.4
23.1
25.4
26.8
27.8
31.3
24.6
Netflix
19.5
18.9
10.2
19.8
9.4
8.8
6.2
8.2
8.0
7.6
Disney +
3.9
5.4
6.1
5.2
0.9
1.8
2.1
-
-
5.1
[ Subscription contract matrix ]
By number of subscriptions (Figure 5), we see thatjust under 40% of users subscribe to two or more video subscription services, of which about 70% are a combination of two or more of Amazon, Netflix, hulu, and Disney+.About 90% of those who subscribe to two or more companies subscribe to Amazon. The most common combination is Amazon x Netflix (42.2%). This pattern is the only one that is significantly more common. Amazon is probably the key player in paid video distribution services.


[ Frequency of Subscription Usage ]
On the other hand, looking at the frequency of stand-alone usage (Figure 7), the percentage of the top two boxes (those who watch at least twice a week) is higher for Netflix at 60.2% than for the other companies. Netflix also has the highest percentage of those who watch almost every day at 22%, indicating a level of viewing enthusiasm among users that was not apparent from their subscriptions and usagea

[ Emphasis on Subscription ]
The four major services shared the same importance (Figure 8), with cost in first place and quantity of content in second place. Cost" and "amount of content" are already prerequisites or requirements for users of video distribution services, and it would be difficult to gain an advantage here in order to acquire new users. On the other hand, the third place seems to have the characteristics of each video service. However, the percentage is still low compared to No. 1 and No. 2. I think there is a possibility that this can be used as leverage to increase the number of subscribers in the future.

PPRICE
77.6%
Many
contents
52.0%
Ease of
search
34.0%

PPRICE
70.4%
Many
contents
58.7%
Video
quality
35.3%

PPRICE
79.4%
Many
contents
57.0%
Many
foreign
33.1%
Importance

PPRICE
64.3%
Many
contents
52.9%
New
releases
33.7%
Acorn Marketing & Research Consultants Japan Co Ltd
OS Building 6F, 1-12-15 Kandaizumicho, Chiyoda-Ku, Tokyo 101-0024, Japan
Tel : +81 3 3863 8318