April 18, 2024

Patron Preferences Shift Toward Streaming

Library DVD borrowing has fallen sharply during the past year, and library users are rapidly migrating toward streaming services for both music and movies, according to the July 2012 edition of LJ’s Patron Profiles, which examines trends in Media Consumption and Library Use. DVDs are the top format for films loaned by libraries, and 27 percent of respondents said that libraries remain their primary source for movies—down from 36 percent in the first Patron Profiles survey, conducted less than a year ago. “A strong indicator of the changing media landscape is the rise of streaming and disc-by-mail services—both currently dominated by Netflix,” the report states.

Link: Netflix and Libraries: You Are What “Your Users” Think You Are, Not What You Think You Are – Library Hat

But we separate them for the efficiency of ‘our’ operation. Users pay by being forced to take an additional step. Probably a decision as bad as Netflix and Qwikster.

Link: Why Content Isn’t King

In fact, the dirty little secret of the media industry is that content aggregators, not content creators, have long been the overwhelming source of value creation.