By: Liz O'Donnell

The latest findings from Horowitz Research's FOCUS Latino report reveal that Hispanics are more likely to have made streaming an integral part of their video viewing lifestyle. Half (51%) of Hispanic TV viewers in the study report spending 20% or more of their time watching over-the-top (OTT) content, compared to 43% of total urban TV content viewers. Among Hispanics, OTT viewing is being driven by bilingual and English-oriented Hispanics. More than half of bilingual (54%) and English-oriented (56%) Hispanics report spending more than 20% of their viewing time streaming, compared to 35% of Spanish-dominant Hispanics. 

The study, which also looks at technology adoption, shows that OTT capability--being able to stream to a TV, computer, or handheld device--is ubiquitous among bilingual and English-oriented Hispanics (92% and 95%, respectively), but at only 74% among Spanish-dominant Hispanics. The research suggests less access, rather than lack of interest in OTT, is why Spanish-dominant Hispanics are less likely to be OTT users: When the access barrier is removed, Spanish-dominant Hispanics' OTT habits are similar to their bilingual and English-oriented counterparts. Among OTT viewers, Spanish-dominant Hispanics spend 49% of their viewing time with streamed content, on par with bilingual (51%) and English-oriented (45%). (View chart.) Another consideration is the availability and importance of Spanish-language content: 62% of Spanish-dominant Hispanics report being regular viewers of Spanish-language content.

"Up until now there has been relatively little Spanish-language content available through OTT.   Now, new services like Yaveo are offering a selection of Spanish-language content and established SVOD services, like Hulu and Netflix, are strengthening their Spanish programming.  We think this will energize the market.  Demand for these services could help close the access gap among less acculturated Latinos," says Adriana Waterston, Horowitz's Senior Vice President of Insights and Strategy. 

FOCUS Latino is a syndicated consumer survey about the media behaviors of Hispanic consumers. The study was conducted by Horowitz Research in January/February 2015 among 800 Hispanic heads of household 18+ who are TV content viewers in urban (population 50,000+) markets.

Read more at prnewswire.