It is practically impossible to talk about the growth of streaming services in Argentina without referring to the COVID-19 pandemic that is shaking the entire world. A consumption that at first glance seemed a luxury has become “essential”. The numbers reflect this: in the thirteenth week of 2020, the country’s streaming audience increased by one third (33.5%) compared to the first eleven weeks, with average screen-time rising to four hours per day.
Of course, Argentina is not an outlier in Latin America. In Brazil, according to the same study, the audience has grown by 30%, with the amount of time spent on screens per day rising by ten minutes. Colombia saw increases too, with the audience growing by 34% and daily viewing time rising by twenty-six minutes.
It is not news that the COVID-19 pandemic has incurred an economic crisis. Despite this, during this time Internet traffic in Argentina has grown between 30% and 50%, according to information from service providers. Something similar happened during the 2011 economic crisis, which triggered strong growth in cable TV and broadband consumption.
Mandatory preventive social isolation has had a massive impact on the consumption of streaming services in Argentina, such as Amazon Prime Video, Flow, Netflix, HBO Go and Movistar Play. Not everything is audiovisual, and platforms like Deezer and Spotify also liven up life in Argentine homes.
This increase can be seen as a consolidation of these consumptions – a confirmed trend, and a cultural phenomenon that goes from strength to strength while cable and public access TV ratings plummet. The great capital of streaming services compared to the latter lies in “the ability to choose.” A wide menu of possibilities gives the user a more active role, rather than having to wait for a specific time to watch their favorite program on the usual channel.
If they were prohibitively expensive, the growth of streaming services in Argentina would likely not trend upward to this extent. For a country that seems to have become very used to economic crises and scant recoveries in recent years, it is understandable for Argentines to check prices before reaching for their wallets.
The low cost of streaming applications also explains the growth of these platforms in the country. The cheapest service costs 3.58 American dollars per month, including VAT and digital tax, as of mid-2020.
By way of comparison, a mass-market hamburger such as the McDonald’s Big Mac was priced at 2.35 American dollars in Argentina, in January 2020. For those who enjoy and can afford it, signing up to streaming services and eating double hamburgers sounds like a good plan in Argentina.
Movies, series, kids shows, art cinema, documentaries… streaming services offer a wide array of content. Among those consumed by Argentines, the following stand out:
- Netflix: The platform’s reputation precedes it. Series, films, original and local productions, varied documentaries, stand-up and children’s shows make up an extremely varied menu.
- Flow: The cable television service platform of Cablevisión which, in addition to live TV, offers international and Argentine content on demand and can be integrated with Netflix.
- Disney+: The ace up its sleeve among its 500 movies and 7 thousand series episodes? “The Simpsons”.
- Amazon Prime Video: Offers many original series that were very well received by influencers and the specialized press, such as “Fleabag” or “The Marvellous Mrs. Maisel”. The cinema of cult directors such as Spike Jonze and Jim Jarmusch set it apart.
- HBO Go: It has its own classics such as “Six Feet Under”, “The Sopranos”, “The Wire” and “Game of Thrones”, and is lauded for its own productions and documentaries.
- Apple TV+: Its strength does not lie in its original content, but in aggregating a sizable amount of content from other streaming platforms.
- Qubit TV: Ideal for old-school moviegoers, it offers plenty of classic film titles, from established and independent directors.
- Cine.AR: The streaming service of the Argentine National Film Institute, offering a great catalog of national cinema.
Beyond the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing economic difficulties, Argentines are people of habit and streaming services in Argentina have evidently already been assimilated as such.
