VOD Buffer Ratio decreases by 54% – Buffer Ratio, Average Join Time & Bitrate Quality show global improvement in 2024

NPAW, the global leader in Streaming Video Intelligence services, has released its 2024 1st half Video Streaming Industry Report.

Buffer Ratio Quality Comes of Age in the Streaming Video Space

The first 6 months of 2024 saw a large global increase in quality of experience, with a 54% decrease in buffer ratio for Video-on-Demand (VOD) services, compared to the same period last year. This KPI illustrates a worldwide shift in the quality of streaming video services. It’s also an indication of the global commitment of OTTs, Telcos and Broadcasters to providing better streaming quality.

Linear TV buffer ratio also improved remarkably in H1 2024, with a global decrease of 34% vs H1 2023 and 24% vs H2 2023. And a highlight in the Asia region alone experienced a 35% improvement in quality.

“Telcos, broadcasters and OTTs are investing heavily, thus improving the overall quality of the streaming video landscape. With new players entering the market regularly, it’s becoming much more competitive. We are seeing the world rapidly shift away from traditional TV and towards streaming providers.” said Ferran G. Vilaró, NPAW CEO & Co-Founder.

This report explores the current state of the video streaming industry both globally and regionally, comparing engagement and quality data from the first half of 2024 with the same period in 2023. The analyzed data were collected from the NPAW Suite for January to June 2024 and contrasted with data from January to June 2023. Advertising data were also gathered from January to June 2024. This dataset includes real-time information from over 190 global NPAW clients, which consist of leading OTT providers, broadcasters, and telecom operators. As the NPAW data library and client base are continuously growing, the data in this report may slightly differ from previous editions.

Key Insights

• Global Bitrate improvements in Asia and Europe
• Engagement and Playtime Stats
• Global Titles Consumption
• Device Usage
• Streaming Ads show major growth

To access this report please download here.

NPAW is a global leader in streaming video intelligence. We specialize in technological innovation, tracking and analyzing video consumption, user behavior, quality of experience, and quality of service to bolster the growth of online streaming services. Serving more than 190 video services, NPAW processes over 100 billion plays annually worldwide. 

NPAW has over a decade of experience developing groundbreaking, scalable analytics solutions to optimize performance and user engagement, helping customers to build media experiences that maximize revenue. The NPAW suite of analytics solutions provides advanced visibility and actionable insights on platform performance, audience behavior, advertising and content efficiency, as well as app navigation in real-time to support data-driven decisions. NPAW serves more than 190 video services and processes over 100 billion plays per year worldwide. Established in 2008 by co-founders of the video streaming service Wuaki TV, which was later sold to Rakuten, NPAW has offices in Barcelona and New York with teams around the world.