42% of OTT Users Have Shared or Received Passwords During Pandemic: Survey

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With consumers now spending a full eight-hour workday streaming video, Tubi-backed study finds that not all of that usage is translating into revenue for video companies

(Image credit: Future)

A new study of 2,000 U.S. adults with access to streaming services has found that 42% of them have either shared or received passwords since COVID-19 social distancing started in mid-March. 

The survey, conducted by OnePoll on behalf of AVOD service Tubi, found that sharing between romantic partners is most common, with 54% of password sharers identifying that relationship as one they swap digits with. “Friend” (53%) and “sibling” (42%) were also popular categories. 

In fact, mere “acquaintance” registered ninth on the list of most popular people to share a password with (17%).

A rep for the PR firm that presented the study, SWNS Media Group, said that the survey simply asked consumers if they've shared their password. It's hard to tell if some respondents confused illegal sharing (i.e. sharing with folks outside the home) with legal sharing conducted with partners, family members and hangers-on living in the their house and covered under terms of their service agreement.  

In any event, the survey seems to imply that illegal sharing is high right now. 

All of this password sharing is coming as viewers, stuck at home with their families and roommates, stream on average eight hours of video a day, according to the survey. 

Daniel Frankel
Daniel Frankel

Daniel Frankel is the managing editor of Next TV, an internet publishing vertical focused on the business of video streaming. A Los Angeles-based writer and editor who has covered the media and technology industries for more than two decades, Daniel has worked on staff for publications including E! Online, Electronic Media, Mediaweek, Variety, paidContent and GigaOm. You can start living a healthier life with greater wealth and prosperity by following Daniel on Twitter today!