New research reveals growing appetite for flexible streaming payment models, with 28% of British consumers wanting rewards for viewing ‘streaks’

Streaming (AI generated)

A survey of 1,500 British consumers conducted in January has revealed that 28% think streaming services should introduce rewards for binge-watching “streaks”.

This could include such rewards as unlocking discounts after streaming a set number of hours or completing a season.

The report – called The future of bundling waits for no one – was commissioned by Bango and conducted by an unnamed independent research agency.

As well as binge-based rewards, it looked at the potential popularity of pay-per-hour streaming, and even pay-per minute packages.

It shows a growing trend of consumers pushing for more flexible pay-per-use streaming options.

One in five (20%) taking part in the research wanted subscriptions billed on actual usage, such as time spent in an app.

A further 17% want to pay for video streaming per hour watched instead of committing to a monthly bill, while 9% would consider paying per minute viewed. 

45% say monthly billing leaves them paying for unused time. Many are looking for ways to keep their favourite subscriptions, but with more flexible payment options.

The report investigated if people would be willing to share more data to receive discounted access to streaming apps. Around one in five (22%) say they would be open to sharing additional data with their subscription services (such as their viewing or watch history) if it unlocked better deals.

Furthermore, another quarter (25%) want to see cross-platform credits introduced in future, allowing them to pay for content across multiple streaming services. Another 27% would also like these credits to apply across all of their subscriptions.

The report also suggests a growing appetite for consolidation. More than two-fifths (42%) say they want a single sign-in and a single monthly bill that covers all their streaming services. 

Giles Tongue, VP of marketing at Bango, said: “Consumers want subscriptions to fit real life. People dip in and out of services, switch up what they watch, and expect pricing and perks to match that reality rather than a rigid monthly fee.

 “They want one place to manage what they pay for, and they’re open to the next generation of subscription models that feel more flexible and rewarding, from binge-watch benefits and cross-platform credits to billing that flexes around usage.”