Linear TV overtakes SVOD viewing again in New Zealand, broadcast data shows
New Zealand's broadcast commission has published data showing linear television viewing overtaking subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) consumption this year, closing a gap that opened in 2023, when SVOD first passed linear and built a seven percentage point lead. The commission attributes this year's reversal to a slight rebound in linear viewing paired with a significant drop in SVOD consumption. VideoWeek reported the figures in its Week in Charts roundup this week.
Planners who assume SVOD's rise is permanent and linear's decline is irreversible now have a live counterexample from a single market. National viewing shares can move in both directions within a few years, as New Zealand's swing between 2023 and this year demonstrates. Anyone comparing linear and SVOD reach across markets, or building multi-year TV plans, gains one more data point against treating streaming's rise as a straight line.