Latin American viewers heavily engage in streaming services and are statistically more likely to subscribe to pay television.
Latinos Driving the TV, Streaming, and Video Landscape
Breaking down the numbers from Horowitz Research, it's evident that Latinos are a significant force within the TV, streaming, and video industry. A recent survey revealed that Latinos are more likely to utilize Free Ad-Supported Streaming Channels (FAST) and maintain higher subscription rates for traditional pay TV services and streaming platforms.
As the TV landscape undergoes a major transformation, with streaming surging and traditional pay TV on the decline, the "State of Media, Entertainment, and Tech 2025 Volume I: Subscriptions FOCUS Latinx" report sheds light on some interesting trends. The survey found that 47% of Latinos still subscribe to video services from a Multichannel Video Programming Distributor (MVPD), compared to 44% of the general population.
Meanwhile, 92% of Latino homes boast SVOD (Streaming Video on Demand) services, surpassing the 81% of the total population. Moreover, 35% of Latino households have subscriptions for vMVPDs like YouTube TV, markedly higher than the 23% of the general population.
Latinos also lead in utilizing FAST platforms, with 80% using these services, contrasted with 70% for the general population. This results in a broader mix of services within Latino households, with 43% having both MVPD and streaming services, compared to 33% for the general population. Conversely, only 3% of Latino homes have no subscriptions, compared to 11% in the general market, and only 4% have just an MVPD subscription, compared to 11% in the total market.
The report further shows a significant shift in how video is accessed in Latino households. In 2016, 31% of Latino homes accessed video exclusively via an MVPD subscription, dropping to 4% today. At the same time, the number of Latino homes with only streaming services has surged from 6% in 2016 to 50% in 2025, while the homes with both MVPD and streaming services have declined from 58% in 2016 to 43% in 2025.
These findings indicate the growing appeal of video services to Latinos, making them a valuable customer base for the TV, streaming, and pay TV sectors. Moreover, the data also suggests that these players need to cater to the linguistic needs of these viewers in their bundling and programming strategies.
The report revealed that 80% of Latino viewers watch at least some Spanish-language programming, with 61% reporting that at least half of what they watch is in Spanish. This language preference holds true across demographics, including Spanish-dominant, bilingual, and English-oriented viewers, as well as younger and older viewers.
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- Despite a decline in traditional pay TV, 47% of Latinos still subscribe to video services from a Multichannel Video Programming Distributor (MVPD).
- The survey found that 92% of Latino homes have SVOD (Streaming Video on Demand) services, surpassing the 81% of the total population.
- In 2025, the number of Latino homes with only streaming services has surged from 6% in 2016 to 50%, while the homes with both MVPD and streaming services have declined from 58% in 2016 to 43%.
- The report further suggests that, to cater to the linguistic needs of Latino viewers, digital media and finance sectors may need to adapt their bundling and programming strategies.
