Julia Stoll
Research expert covering TV and video media
Premium video-on-demand in the United States - statistics & facts
With theaters closed during the coronavirus crisis, producers and film studios had to adapt their strategies to generate revenues and compensate production expenses. Even in the early stages of the pandemic, major studios like Universal began to sell their first-run movies via premium video-on-demand (PVOD) 鈥 releasing content on streaming services and in cinemas at the same time or shortly after the movie鈥檚 scheduled for theaters. Although this business model is not an entirely new concept and had already been experimented with a decade ago, during the pandemic PVOD quickly became an appealing option for film fans forced to stay at home. In fact, a survey held in June 2021 found that one third of the U.S. population had already paid to watch a film that skipped its cinema run due to the coronavirus, up from 19 percent as of July 2020.
