ENG 105 Research Paper

Rise of Online Streaming Platforms

Date of Submission: 19 January 2021

Submitted by: Tabsir Ahmed

ID: 1921261030

Submitted to: Dr. Nadra Islam

Department of English &
Modern Languages
North South University
Acknowledgement

First of all, I would like to express my gratitude towards my parents and my sister for their

constant love and support. Throughout my research journey, our honorable faculty member,

Dr. Nadra Islam Ma’am, has always been a constant support and guidance for finishing my

research work accordingly. Her motivation and guideline have really inspired me to finish my

research paper. Even though it was quite challenging during the pandemic situation, ma’am

has made it possible for us by assessing online. I would also like to thank my respondents for

taking part in the survey for this research and provide their valuable opinion.

1|P a ge
Abstract

The sudden rise of the online streaming platforms has turned heads after the advent of the novel

Corona virus. People are now more interested towards watching a tv series on their favorite

streaming platforms rather than watching content on a television channel. The streaming

platforms have also implemented strategies that attracted the consumers to get a subscription.

I was encouraged to do this research work because the streaming platforms were taking away

the market share from the television industry. The popular tv shows of the online platforms

were becoming a trending hot topic. The research also showed people were losing their interest

on traditional television channels. During the research, it was discovered that people were

facing many consequences after being habituated to watching on a regular basis. The research

also revealed that people were lacking of productivity and getting addictive towards watching.

Besides, people were isolating themselves from friends and family. People associated with this

research also agreed that they were interested more towards the international streaming services

rather than the local ones. However, the research also found out that the television industry was

soon going to fall down and be taken over by the streaming services.

2|P a ge
Table of Contents

Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 4

Background ........................................................................................................................... 6

Research Questions ............................................................................................................... 7

Hypothesis ............................................................................................................................ 8

Research Methodology .......................................................................................................... 8

Data Presentation and Analysis ............................................................................................. 9

Conclusion .......................................................................................................................... 26

Recommendation ................................................................................................................ 27

References .......................................................................................................................... 28

3|P a ge
Introduction

There was a time when people after having a hectic day of work used to sit on the couch to for

enjoying their favorite TV show in the evening. But over the past few years, the scenario has

changed because of technological advancement. People are now more used to their phones

rather than sitting in front of a television. And that has led to the rise of online streaming

platforms such as Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus, Amazon Prime, etc. We are now more dependent

on the online streaming services since it is available just with a click on our cell phone. After

the sudden advent of the novel coronavirus, people are forced to stay at home and that has led

to watching more tv shows and movies. Rather than watching it on television, people are now

cutting their cables and spending their time on their phones or laptops on the streaming

platforms.

People nowadays are more interested in getting a streaming service subscription rather than a

cable connection. TV cable viewers are now complaining about paying for the channels that

they never wanted. Most consumers don’t have the option to select their preferred channels as

the channels come into a bundle that can’t be modified. On the other hand, the on-demand

streaming services are not television channels, rather they are a collection of TV shows and

movies that is more like a library and people can watch them whenever they want.

The reason behind this is cable connections are limited towards the television only. People are

now more used to their cellphones and other portable devices. The streaming platform offers

an app that is easier to use and can be enjoyed anywhere. Our newer generation are no longer

used to sitting on a couch and enjoying their late night tv shows in front of a television. They

are more likely to enjoy it on their smaller screens. Research has also shown that cable

4|P a ge
connection users are now people who are above 60 years. However, the newer generations are

more interested towards the streaming services because of the rising penetration of the internet.

Another reason behind people moving towards the streaming platforms is to save money.

Families and individuals have to spend much more on a cable connection rather than a Netflix

subscription. The price of the streaming bundles is getting lower so that it’s between

everyone’s’ reach. Moreover, using only one account, multiple users can enjoy the tv shows

and movies of their own choice at the same time. Besides, people don’t like interruptions from

the advertisements when they are enjoying their favorite shows. The streaming services are

commercial free and people are getting more TV time to watch.

Through my research I would like to know how the streaming platforms suddenly took the

market share out of nowhere from the television industry. What are the experiences that people

are getting from the online streaming platforms and how much is this different from the actual

television channels? What are the pros and cons of this new service? Has the change from cable

TV to streaming platforms been an expensive one and is it wasteful? As the streaming will

continue, I think it is important to examine its effects

5|P a ge
Background
The viewing habits of the people got a sudden boost during lockdown. More than 25%

consumers took at least one subscription from an online streaming service during the pandemic

(Balderston, 2020). Major streaming services such as YouTube TV, Netflix, Amazon, Hulu

etc. have seen an increase since February. An annual study into UK media habits suggested

adults who are stuck indoors spent half of their active hours on average in front of their screens.

Most of them subscribed to Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, but now the third most popular

paid-for-streaming site was Disney+. Older audiences, who usually watch conventional

television, have expanded their use of streaming services. In the early weeks of lock-down, one

third of 55-64 years olds and 15% of people 65 and older used subscription services ("TV

watching and online streaming surge during lockdown", 2020).

On the other hand, Bangladeshi streaming platforms have also gained popularity among the

younger generation after the pandemic. Streaming platforms such as Bioscope by

Grameenphone, Robi TV+ and Banglaflix are run by the leading telecom operators. Besides,

there are also other independent platforms such as Bongo BD and Hoichoi. These platforms

are usually streaming local and dubbed international movies and also have a rich collection of

exclusive contents. The platforms are going above and beyond to attract the customers by

providing them with lucrative deals but they are struggling since the Bangladeshi customers

are more attracted towards the international platforms. Even after the platforms being very

affordable having convenient payment methods, customers still prefer spending their money in

dollars for the international streaming services (Nusaiba & Nikita, 2020). The reason behind

this might be the unavailability of better-quality contents in comparison to the international

ones.

6|P a ge
The most noticeable part was that the online streaming platforms were becoming popular in

terms of the number of streaming packages individuals had. One-fourth of the survey

respondents said that they had two or more video entertainment packages for those with a cable,

while the survey figure for those without a cable was 28% (Bozkurt, 2020). The survey

therefore shows that the number of households with 2+ streaming subscriptions is rising. And

the prevalence is just 3% of the population — cable and non-cable communities — in only two

demographic groups.

The prevalence of household online streaming is definitely suggesting the trend towards

continuing rising demand for unrestricted Internet. Looking at how much time TV has spent

and the increasing demand for additional choices and lower prices, a future analysis might take

these factors down by age. This will mean whether or not Millennials would settle down in

conventional cable services after a period of studies.

Research Questions

In my research, I would like to find out the reasons and strategies behind the rise of online

streaming platforms. My research will address the following broad research questions:

1. What are the popular online streaming services?

2. What caused the decline of the television industry?

3. What were the strategies behind the rise of the streaming platforms?

4. What made people choose streaming platforms over television channels?

5. How is the overall experience of a user?

6. What are the good sides?

7. What are the consequences of spending time on these platforms?

7|P a ge
Hypothesis

The sudden rise of the online streaming platforms has shaken the overall industry. I expect the

reasons behind the success streaming platforms are the ease with which one can watch a

program without any commercial interruptions. After the advent of novel coronavirus, the

television industry has lost the market share from the streaming services. I presume that the

streaming companies have followed some particular strategies to gain market share and also

attract the viewer’s attention. I also believe that the reason behind people using more streaming

services rather is that the content is varied enough to suit almost anyone’s taste.

Research Methodology

For my primary research, I have conducted an online survey using Google forms. The survey

respondents were mostly students and some of them were jobholders. The survey was intended

to determine the interest of the respondents in the streaming platforms. Most of the

questionnaires included multiple choice questions that were related to the research topic.

For my secondary research, I took support from related online articles, journals, newspapers

and other published materials related to the research topic that helped me to understand the

actual scenario.

8|P a ge
Data Presentation and Analysis

For collecting data, I surveyed a total of 61 people using ‘Google Forms”, as it was not possible

to conduct an offline survey due to the pandemic situation. The survey was done in order to

know more about the watching habits of the respondents.

The following are the questions surveyed. The first three questions are for demographic

reasoning and the rest of them are the actual queries.

Question – 01: What is your gender?

The above pie chart shows the gender of the sample for this survey. Among 61 responses, 34

of them were male and 27 of them were female.

9|P a ge
Question – 02: Which age group do you belong to?

The pie chart represents the age of the participants in the survey. A total of 61 respondents

participated and out of them, a staggering majority of 78.7% falls in the age group of 21-25. A

negligible amount of people belonged to the age group of 26 to 30 and the rest a little less than

one fifth is from 16 to 20 age groups.

10 | P a g e
Question – 03: What is your profession?

This pie chart shows the profession of the respondents. Now, although there were many options

the majority of the respondents were students, and a bit more than one-tenth of the participants

were unemployed. A reason behind this is the fact that my friend lists mostly consists of

students and young adults.

11 | P a g e
Question – 04: Which one do you prefer?

The above pie chart shows what the participants preferred: television vs online streaming

platform. And almost 9/10th of the respondents went for online streaming services. Leaving

1/10 to television streaming.

12 | P a g e
Question – 05: What feature do you like MOST of a streaming service?

The above-shown pie chart shows what features people like most about online streaming

services. Now, more than half of the respondents chose the option: diverse option to choose

from. 23% of the respondents liked the user-friendly attribute and a little over 1/10th people

preferred the fact that there are no gadget limitations. And a negligible amount of the

participants liked the multiple viewership option.

13 | P a g e
Question – 06: What feature do you dislike about a streaming platform?

The pie chart represents the factors that people dislike about online streaming. The majority of

the respondents didn’t like the expensive monthly subscription fees. A bit more than 1/10th of

the participants complained about the server issues. And 16.4% of the participants didn’t have

any complaints. And a negligible number of respondents complained about network issues.

14 | P a g e
Question-07: Why do you prefer a television (dish connection) over a streaming

platform?

The above pie chart shows the factors for which the respondents prefer having a TV cable

connection over the subscription of a streaming service. Shockingly, 50.8% of the respondents

don’t prefer having a TV cable connection. However, 19.7% of the respondents still prefer

having a cable connection because of the diversified channel options one can get and again

another 19.7% of the respondents feel having a cable connection will allow them to watch their

tv shows with the entire family. And a negligible amount of 9.8% of the respondents felt they

should still have a cable connection to watch live news.

15 | P a g e
Question – 08: Which feature do you dislike about television?

The pie chart represents the features that the respondents dislike about a television. Almost half

of the respondents, were not comfortable with the fixed time schedules for tv shows as

considering the current era of technology, almost everyone prefers convenience over anything

else. Following that, 26.2% of the respondents think there is nothing interesting to watch in

television as there are no chances of watching diversified video contents. Besides 19.7% of the

respondents disliked the television as there was no option to play/pause while they are watching

a tv show. However, a small percentage of only 9.8% were disliking their television as it was

not easy to move.

16 | P a g e
Question – 09: Which online streaming platform do you prefer?

The above pie chart shows the preferable streaming platforms of the respondents. Interestingly,

majority of the respondents that is 88.5% of the people think Netflix is their go-to streaming

platform after a busy day. A small percentage of only 9.8% preferred watching Amazon Prime

and only 1 respondent preferred watching Disney Plus.

17 | P a g e
Question – 10: Which Bangladeshi streaming platform do you prefer?

The above-shown pie chart shows the preferences of watching a Bangladeshi streaming

platform. Shockingly, more than half of the respondents don’t prefer using Bangladeshi

streaming services as they are much more likely to watch their tv shows on the global streaming

platforms. Only 26.2% of the respondents preferred watching Hoichoi, which is a newly

established brand in the Bangladeshi market. Only 5 respondents preferred watching Bioscope

and 4 respondents preferred watching the contents of Bongo.

18 | P a g e
Question-11: Which key feature made you get a subscription to a streaming platform?

The pie chart represents the key factors that influenced the respondents to get a subscription of

streaming services. The survey has shown some interesting results where it can be seen that

out of 61 respondents, 22 of them were attracted to the 1-month free trial that the streaming

services were providing and that made them get a subscription. However, 27.9% of the

respondents were accepting the streaming services over a television as it provided them with

self-customizing features. Moreover, 23% of the respondents were attracted towards the

streaming services as there was no hassle of watching advertisements in between. A small

percentage of only 13.1% wanted to get a subscription just to follow the trend.

19 | P a g e
Question - 12: How much are you willing to pay for a subscription?

The above pie chart shows the amount that respondents are willing to pay for an online

subscription. Interestingly, 49.2% of the respondents prefer to pay only 150 taka per month for

a subscription. On the other hand, a good percentage of 24.6% are willing to pay 300 taka.

However, a few of the respondents are willing to pay 500 taka and 11.5% of the people are

willing to pay 1000 taka per month for a subscription.

20 | P a g e
Question – 13: On a scale of 1 to 5 how much do you enjoy watching an online TV show

on your preferred streaming platform? (considering 1 as least enjoyable and 5 as most

enjoyable)

The above graph shows the enjoyment score of the respondents while they are watching a tv

show on the streaming platforms on a scale of 1 to 5 where 1 being least enjoyable and 5 being

most enjoyable.

Out of 61 respondents, 25 of the respondents considered watching an online TV show as the

most enjoyable. Another 23 respondents gave it a score of 4. However, a small portion of the

respondents provided a score of 3 as they did not find neither enjoyable nor least enjoyable to

watch a tv show online. Furthermore, only 3 respondents did not find it enjoyable to watch tv

shows on the streaming platforms.

21 | P a g e
Question – 14: On a scale of 1 to 5 how much do you enjoy watching a tv serial on your

dish channel? (considering 1 as least enjoyable and 5 as most enjoyable)

The above graph describes the enjoyment of the respondents while they are watching a tv serial

on a traditional dish channel on a scale of 1 to 5 where 1 being least enjoyable and 5 being

most enjoyable.

Out of 61 respondents, 23 of them did not find watching a tv serial enjoyable at all. On the

other hand, 20 respondents were in the middle where they did find it enjoyable to watch a

traditional tv serial through their dish connection. However, only 9 respondents were finding

it more enjoyable to watch a tv serial.

22 | P a g e
Question – 15: Are there any consequences you are facing after using online streaming

platforms on a regular basis?

The above pie chart shows if the respondents were facing any consequences after watching the

shows in streaming platforms on a regular basis. Almost half the respondents were having

consequence and 54.1% of the respondents were facing no problems after being habituated to

the streaming platforms.

23 | P a g e
Question – 16: If yes, kindly select the problems that you are facing? (you can choose

multiple options)

Through this particular question, I wanted to find out the consequences that the respondents

were facing after getting used to their streaming platforms.

The above bar chart shows the consequences that respondents were facing after watching the

contents of a streaming service on a regular basis. The horizontal line “X-axis” indicates the

number of respondents and the vertical line “Y-axis” represents the consequences that

respondents were facing.

Out of 28 respondents who selected “Yes” in the previous question, 17 of them were finding it

addictive to watch the streaming contents. Moreover, 14 people of them felt their productivity

level has decreased after getting used to watching on a regular basis. Besides, 14 respondents

thought that it was also hampering their studies and 10 respondents were facing physical illness

24 | P a g e
such as headache, eye problems etc. after continuously watching the contents of a streaming

platform. It is very saddening to see that a good portion of the people were isolating themselves

from family and friends after getting used to the streaming services.

25 | P a g e
Conclusion

From this research, it can be concluded that people are more interested towards the streaming

platforms rather than a television because of the eye-catching offers that the streaming

platforms are providing for grabbing a customer’s attention. Moreover, it is very easy to avail

a streaming service as it can be controlled from multiple devices and can be watched anywhere

upon availability of an internet connection. Unfortunately, the Bangladeshi consumers are

much more dependent on the online streaming platforms rather than the local ones.

Besides, the habit of watching tv shows and series in the streaming platforms has become an

addiction and people are lacking of productivity. Excessive watching is also causing headache

and eye-problems. People are isolating themselves from friends and family and it is also

hampering the studies of the students. Therefore, it is time people should control their watching

habits and focus on being more productive and maintain a social life.

This research has some limitations. The survey was done only online because of the pandemic.

Also because of limited time, there might be some aspects of the research that could not be

focused on.

26 | P a g e
Recommendation

From this research, it is evident that most of the respondents are being addicted towards the

streaming platforms because of getting access to diversified contents. Therefore, I would

recommend adjusting rather than being addictive since adjusting our schedule properly and

keeping some specific time allocated towards watching will help to control the addiction.

Moreover, people should spend more time socializing and spending quality time with their

family and friends as getting habituated towards the streaming platforms are making people

isolated. Besides, necessary measures from the government should be taken to increase the

number of diversified contents that are being streamed in the Bangladeshi streaming platforms

in order to get more viewers. User preference and taste should be prioritized while creating

contents for television channels. I would also like to recommend people to watch more of the

contents streamed in the Bangladeshi streaming platforms in order to support the talents of our

country.

27 | P a g e
References

Bozkurt, Ç. (2020). The Rise of Online Streaming Services. Twentify. Retrieved 25 December

2020, from https://www.twentify.com/blog/the-rise-of-online-streaming-services.

Balderston, M. (2020, August 11). More Than 25% of Consumers Added at Least One

Streaming Service During Pandemic. TV Technology. Retrieved from

https://www.tvtechnology.com/news/more-than-25-of-consumers-added-at-least-one-

streaming-service-during-pandemic

TV watching and online streaming surge during lockdown. BBC News. (2020, August 5).

Retrieved 26 December 2020, from https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-

53637305#:~:text=Lockdown%20measures%20enforced%20due%20to,according%2

0to%20media%20watchdog%20Ofcom.&text=The%20majority%20signed%20up%2

0to,popular%20paid%2Dfor%20streaming%20platform.

Nusaiba, N., & Nikita, A. (2020, November 26). Streaming Local, Dreaming Global. The

Daily Star. Retrieved 19 January 2021, from

https://www.thedailystar.net/shout/news/streaming-local-dreaming-global-

2001405#:~:text=This%20is%20where%20Bangladeshi%20streaming,as%20Bongo

%20BD%20and%20Cinematic.

Barney, C. (2020, April 07). Coronavirus: Streaming platforms see big surge during pandemic.

Retrieved 26 December 2020 from

https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/04/07/coronavirus-streaming-platforms-see-big-

surge-during-pandemic/

28 | P a g e
Online media streaming will benefit from the coronavirus pandemic. Deloitte. (2020).

Retrieved 26 December 2020, from

https://www2.deloitte.com/be/en/pages/technology-media-and-

telecommunications/articles/online-media-streaming.html.

29 | P a g e