Cyprus joint top in EU in streaming TV and video

Cyprus jointly ranked top amongst EU countries for the share of population who streamed TV or videos in 2020.

Cyprus and the Netherlands both recorded a rate of 95 per cent, according to a Eurostat (the EU’s statistical information body) report published on Thursday. The EU27 average was 74 per cent.

Cyprus’ chart-topping figures was followed by Finland and Malta at 93 per cent, while the lowest share was observed in Bulgaria (44 per cent) and Romania (37 per cent).

Cyprus’ rise amongst the charts for tech use has been a trend for some time now, as in 2016 that figure was 81 per cent.

During that same period, Italy for example only rose from 72 per cent to 77 per cent. Notably, Portugal’s streaming use declined from 77 per cent in 2016 to 66 per cent in 2020.

Eurostat said that in 2020, 75 per cent of those aged 16 to 74 that used the internet in the previous three months read online news sites, newspapers, and news magazines, while 74 per cent watched internet-streamed TV or videos.

The shares were lower for listening to music (61 per cent) and playing or downloading games (34 per cent).

The Netherlands had the highest share of individuals playing or downloading games (56 per cent). Malta and Denmark had the second most significant shares (both 47 per cent). In Bulgaria and Poland, these shares were below 20 per cent.

In Cyprus the figure for playing or downloading games was 38 per cent.