SPOTV, User Numbers Surge Due to 'Son Heung-min Effect'..."Fandom Preemption Effect"

OTT Infinite Competition and Exclusive Content Battle
SPOTV NOW Captures Overseas Soccer Matches, Captivating Enthusiasts

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-seon] Online video service (OTT) SPOTV NOW ranked first in user growth last month, surpassing YouTube, thanks to the 'Son Heung-min effect.'

According to Mobile Index by big data platform company IGAWorks on the 26th, the number of users of online video service (OTT) apps in August was 42,875,878, with a total usage time of 1,743,547,508 hours. Among them, SPOTV NOW showed the most rapid increase in the number of users among all applications. The number of SPOTV NOW users surged by 470,000 (116%) compared to the previous month, surpassing YouTube's increase of 460,000. This is analyzed to be a benefit from the start of the overseas soccer season last month, as SPOTV NOW holds exclusive broadcasting rights.

SPOTV NOW holds domestic exclusive broadcasting rights for the English professional soccer Premier League (EPL), Italian professional soccer Serie A, and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Champions League (UCL). Mobile Index explained that with the start of the Premier League season, people wanting to watch Korean players such as Son Heung-min and Hwang Ui-chan's matches flocked to SPOTV NOW.

Tving also benefited from fandom effects. In last month's new app installation rankings, Tving ranked first in the entertainment category with 410,000 installs. Netflix (360,000), Coupang Play (320,000), Disney+ (220,000), and Wavve (190,000) followed. This was attributed to the exclusive live broadcast of popular trot singer Lim Young-woong's Seoul concert 'IM HERO-Seoul' on August 14. During the live broadcast, Tving's real-time viewing share reached 96%. On the day of the concert, new app installations increased 12.8 times compared to the average. Since last Chuseok, the concert video has been exclusively released.

Netflix maintained its position as the OTT app with the highest number of users at 12,137,780. The monthly user count rebounded as 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo' aired on Netflix. Following were Wavve (4.32 million), Tving (4.28 million), Coupang Play (3.8 million), Season (1.69 million), Disney+ (1.68 million), and Watcha (940,000).

The commonality among SPOTV NOW, Tving, and Netflix is that they exclusively aired content boasting strong fandoms. OTTs have recently been actively investing in securing rights for performances and sports broadcasts, moving beyond dramas, movies, and entertainment. Coupang Play's user count increased by 1.1 million in one month to 4.81 million in July, becoming the top native OTT. The industry views the exclusive broadcast of the UK professional soccer club Tottenham's visit match, where Son Heung-min plays, as a major contributor. On July 13, the day of the live broadcast, daily new app installations surged 12.8 times compared to the average. Tving is also entering the sports broadcasting market in earnest. Tving exclusively broadcasts major matches of the German Bundesliga 2022?2023 season.

An OTT official said, "Some OTTs are seeing positive effects by attracting strong fandoms into their platforms," adding, "Competition will become even fiercer as they are putting their lives on the line to secure exclusive content."