The world of VOD streaming services has experienced accelerated growth in recent years, mostly among AVOD (Advertising Video On Demand) platforms. With more than 500 million viewers around the world, the popularity of AVOD is beyond question.
YouTube is one of the best known AVOD platforms in the world, with an extensive library that covers all kinds of content. However, new free advertising platforms have also achieved a good position in the market, with many of them following in the footsteps of YouTube and opting for mixed services that include SVOD and TVOD, among others, while their “basic versions” are still an excellent option for a large number of users.
Best AVOD platforms
AVOD platforms stream a wide variety of content, available to users for free under an advertising model.With SVOD and TVOD services, on the other hand, viewers must pay to access the content. So let’s take a look at the AVOD platforms that are preferred by the public.
Youtube
YouTube has more than 2.3 billion registered users, with an important percentage of these viewing its content for many hours a day. This means a large number of hours on a monthly basis –around 180 million hours a month–, which represents more than 70% of its audience and growing, when compared to the figures of 2016. Although it has had some problems scaling its subscription model, it is one of the free platforms preferred by the public.
Facebook Watch
Facebook Watch is another AVOD platform that has shown good numbers and become a hit with users, attracting more than 1.25 million viewers each month, according to company reports.
Its growth is due in large part to the integration of live events, original programs, sports, music videos, news and a wide variety of user-generated content.
The Roku Channel
Since the launch of Roku, the company has tripled the number of active accounts using its TV devices, connected to more than 51 million users, according to company figures in 2020.
While AVOD services have seen a huge jump in audience, the Roku Channel has performed exceptionally well, and ranks as the best AVOD platform.
Peacock
Peacock was launched in July 2020 by the American company NBCUniversal, and already has more than 54 million users, to which it offers a wide content library that includes original material. Peacock also has Premium payment alternatives.
Tubi TV
Tubi TV is a platform with more than 23,000 movie titles that was acquired by FOX in 2020, increasing its audience in that same year by more than 58%. This site may not yet have the appeal of a Netflix, but it is proving to be a safe bet for years to come.
Pluto TV
A pioneer in the AVOD market, Pluto TV was initially launched for the American public which currently represents only 34% of its total audience. In 2020, it changed its interface to make content playback easier, offering more than 250 free channels.
All these platforms have gotten the public used to seeing quality content for free, and this will bolster the creation of new and better service models, in addition to putting pressure on other media with payment options.
As these AVOD platforms increase their number of followers, this give way to an interesting competition. Platforms such as Pluto TV and Tubi TV have operated for years, not to mention the giant YouTube, with a proven business model. They attract both adult users with more limited financial resources and young viewers in need of content.
