As Spain's second largest pay-TV operator, Telefónica, is about to launch its own video-on-demand (VOD) series platform, the market's leading company, Canal+, says its series channel has altered the VOD consumption habits of its audience during the 12 months it's been on air.
A year after Canal+ launched the premium channel, series have become the most downloaded content on Yomvi, the company's VOD and online video platform. Almost half the downloads are of the 1,200-plus series which are available via the service.
Although Canal+ Series broadcasts its content as a regular linear channel, the series are consumed 70% more on-demand than when first broadcast, indicating audience demand for more VOD.
With the trend especially strong among young people with high technology consumption, series such as Breaking Bad have boosted the figures, reaching 6.2 million downloads. One in three consumers used Canal+ Series or Yomvi to watch Game of Thrones, which has become the most watched content on both platforms.
Content which premieres 24 hours after its US premiere has also drawn viewers to Canal+, with series such as House of Cards or the second season of Orange is the New Black driving 40% of viewers not to wait for the dubbed versions but to watch the original versions with subtitles.
According to Canal+, the series channel and VOD platform have capitalised on the need for change regarding audiovisual consumption habits.
