In this Ott Industry statistics overview, you’ll connect who’s watching and what that means for networks, platforms, and infrastructure. Mobile video is the dominant share of mobile traffic, while smartphone adoption is projected to keep rising through 2026. We also look at how services monetize audiences—Netflix memberships, Prime Video subscribers, and Twitch viewership—alongside technical and energy context behind streaming.
Key Takeaways
- 1.2 billion people globally are projected to be using smartphones by 2017, creating a massive addressable audience for Over-The-Top (OTT) services
- 3.5 billion people were estimated to use smartphones globally in 2019
- 4.1 billion people were estimated to use smartphones globally in 2021
- Netflix reported 260.28 million paid memberships worldwide as of Q4 2023
- Amazon Prime Video reported 200 million subscribers globally in 2022 (estimate cited by reputable market research)
- Twitch had 7.6 million average monthly unique viewers in 2021 (estimate reported by Statista)
- Netflix had an average streaming bitrate of 5.2 Mbps for standard definition in 2020 (reported by industry technical analysis)
- The average mobile data consumption per smartphone user reached 17.2 GB per month in 2022 globally (Ericsson Mobility Report, forecasted/measured metric)
- The average smartphone users consumed 15.2 GB per month in 2021 globally (Ericsson Mobility Report)
- Average time spent watching video content per day increased to 2h 19m globally in 2023 (data from DataReportal using survey and analytics)
- 5G subscriptions worldwide reached 1.1 billion in 2023 (ITU data)
- In 2023, mobile video was the largest driver of mobile data traffic and accounted for more than 60% of mobile traffic (Ericsson Mobility Report)
- Bandwidth costs: Netflix uses 4K HDR and adaptive bitrates, which increase CDN egress; CDN cost is frequently modeled per GB but the exact per-GB is internal—however, Netflix’s total content delivery spend is reflected in its cost categories (Netflix 10-K)
- In 2022, global data centers consumed about 240 TWh of electricity (IEA data center report)
- By 2026, data centers’ electricity demand is forecast to reach 460 TWh (IEA forecast)
Smartphone and streaming growth is rapidly expanding OTT audiences while driving rising video data and power demand.
Related reading
01 · Category
Market Size18 stats
01
1.2 billion people globally are projected to be using smartphones by 2017, creating a massive addressable audience for Over-The-Top (OTT) services
02
3.5 billion people were estimated to use smartphones globally in 2019
03
4.1 billion people were estimated to use smartphones globally in 2021
04
4.8 billion people are projected to use smartphones globally in 2026
05
3.3 billion people were using social media worldwide in 2021
06
4.4 billion people were using social media worldwide in 2024
07
$164.0 billion global online video market size in 2024 (includes OTT streaming services)
08
$222.0 billion global online video market size forecast for 2028
09
$92.7 billion global subscription video on demand (SVOD) revenue in 2023 (market size estimate)
10
$138.6 billion global SVOD revenue forecast for 2028
11
$63.0 billion global OTT audio market size forecast for 2030 (forecast from market research)
12
$7.2 billion global OTT audio market size in 2020 (market research baseline)
13
$4.8 billion global OTT messaging market revenue in 2020 (market research estimate)
14
$15.2 billion global OTT messaging market revenue forecast for 2027
15
$2.9 billion global IPTV/OTT set-top box market revenue in 2022 (market research estimate)
16
Fixed broadband subscriptions worldwide reached 1.3 billion in 2023 (ITU data)
17
Global fixed broadband penetration reached 33.9 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants in 2023 (ITU data)
18
Mobile broadband subscriptions worldwide reached 6.6 billion in 2023 (ITU data)
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
The market for OTT is expanding rapidly as smartphone users grow from 3.5 billion in 2019 to a projected 4.8 billion by 2026, while social media usage rises from 3.3 billion in 2021 to 4.4 billion in 2024, signaling a larger and more connected audience for OTT services.
02 · Category
User Adoption8 stats
01
Netflix reported 260.28 million paid memberships worldwide as of Q4 2023
02
Amazon Prime Video reported 200 million subscribers globally in 2022 (estimate cited by reputable market research)
03
Twitch had 7.6 million average monthly unique viewers in 2021 (estimate reported by Statista)
04
In 2023, 47% of UK adults reported watching video streaming services weekly (Ofcom survey)
05
In 2023, 51% of UK adults reported using subscription video-on-demand services (Ofcom survey)
06
In 2023, 35% of UK adults said they watched content on a streaming service at least once a day (Ofcom survey)
07
Disney+ launched on November 12, 2019 and reached 10 million subscribers within its first month (company-reported milestone)
08
Netflix reached 200 million paid memberships globally in Q1 2019 (company-reported)
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
User adoption is clearly scaling in the UK and globally, with Ofcom finding that 51% of UK adults use subscription video-on-demand services and 35% watch at least once a day in 2023, while major OTT platforms like Netflix (260.28 million paid memberships) and Amazon Prime Video (200 million subscribers) show broad international reach.
03 · Category
Performance Metrics16 stats
01
Netflix had an average streaming bitrate of 5.2 Mbps for standard definition in 2020 (reported by industry technical analysis)
02
The average mobile data consumption per smartphone user reached 17.2 GB per month in 2022 globally (Ericsson Mobility Report, forecasted/measured metric)
03
The average smartphone users consumed 15.2 GB per month in 2021 globally (Ericsson Mobility Report)
04
In the UK, Netflix streaming accounted for 21% of total on-demand viewing in 2023 (Ofcom, reported in OTT/VOD impact analysis)
05
In the UK, Amazon Prime Video accounted for 15% of total on-demand viewing in 2023 (Ofcom)
06
In the UK, Disney+ accounted for 10% of total on-demand viewing in 2023 (Ofcom)
07
In 2022, the global average broadband download speed was about 110 Mbps (ITU broadband report metric)
08
In 2021, the global median fixed broadband speed was 75 Mbps (ITU dataset/indicator reported by ITU)
09
Global average monthly mobile data usage per smartphone was 18.7 GB in 2022 (Ericsson Mobility Report)
10
In 2023, global internet traffic per smartphone increased to 7.3 GB per month in rural areas (ITU/industry connectivity report metric)
11
In 2023, global internet traffic per smartphone increased to 14.1 GB per month in urban areas (ITU/industry connectivity report metric)
12
The average video stream uses substantially more data than music; for example, a typical 2-hour HD video download is about 1.5 GB (FCC/industry broadband data on typical usage)
13
The average 2-hour 4K video download can be about 7.5 GB (FCC/industry broadband consumption examples)
14
Google reports that 60% of users have their viewing affected by ads speed; ad latency can reduce engagement (Google research study)
15
In 2023, average peak download speeds exceeded 200 Mbps in many developed markets (ITU broadband indicator ranges)
16
In 2023, global median fixed broadband speed was 100 Mbps for cable/fiber segments (ITU report summary values)
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
From the performance metrics perspective, global mobile usage is climbing steadily from 15.2 GB per smartphone user per month in 2021 to 17.2 GB in 2022, while UK streaming leaders dominate viewing share with Netflix at 21% in 2023, showing both rising consumption demand and strong platform throughput in practice.
More related reading
04 · Category
Industry Trends4 stats
01
Average time spent watching video content per day increased to 2h 19m globally in 2023 (data from DataReportal using survey and analytics)
02
5G subscriptions worldwide reached 1.1 billion in 2023 (ITU data)
03
In 2023, mobile video was the largest driver of mobile data traffic and accounted for more than 60% of mobile traffic (Ericsson Mobility Report)
04
In 2022, mobile broadband accounted for the majority of mobile data usage; video was dominant with over 50% share (ITU report summary)
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
For Industry Trends, the data shows that video is becoming even more central as average daily viewing rose to 2h 19m globally in 2023 and mobile video drove over 60% of mobile traffic, supported by the growth of 5G to 1.1 billion subscriptions worldwide.
05 · Category
Cost Analysis4 stats
01
Bandwidth costs: Netflix uses 4K HDR and adaptive bitrates, which increase CDN egress; CDN cost is frequently modeled per GB but the exact per-GB is internal—however, Netflix’s total content delivery spend is reflected in its cost categories (Netflix 10-K)
02
In 2022, global data centers consumed about 240 TWh of electricity (IEA data center report)
03
By 2026, data centers’ electricity demand is forecast to reach 460 TWh (IEA forecast)
04
In 2022, data centers’ electricity was about 1% of global total electricity use (IEA)
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
For cost analysis, the steady rise in data center energy demand is a major driver, with electricity use projected to climb from about 240 TWh in 2022 to 460 TWh by 2026, even as data centers remain roughly 1% of global electricity consumption, meaning operating expenses are likely to keep scaling as demand and associated bandwidth and egress costs grow.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Karl Becker. (2026, February 13). Ott Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/ott-industry-statistics
MLA
Karl Becker. "Ott Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/ott-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Karl Becker. 2026. "Ott Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/ott-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
21 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+7 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)