SEOUL, June 23 (AJP) - Netflix accounted for 57.7 percent of the time South Korean smartphone users spent on major streaming apps in May, far exceeding its 37.8 percent share of users, according to data released Tuesday by app and payment data provider Wiseapp Retail.
The gap suggests Netflix users spent considerably more time on the platform than users of rival services.
The combined monthly active user count for major over-the-top video streaming apps reached 22.09 million in May, up 4 percent from 21.24 million a year earlier. The figure grew at an average annual rate of 5.7 percent over the past three years.
Netflix led the services surveyed with a 37.8 percent user share. Coupang Play ranked second with 24.4 percent, followed by Tving with 17.8 percent, Disney+ with 6.7 percent and Wavve with 6.1 percent.
The rankings shifted sharply when measured by time spent on each app.
Tving placed second with 24.8 percent of total usage time, while Coupang Play fell to third with 6.5 percent despite having the second-largest user share.
Wavve accounted for 5.4 percent of usage time, followed by Disney+ at 3.3 percent.
Smaller services divided the remainder of the user market. Animation-focused platform Laftel held a 2.9 percent share, followed by U+ Mobile TV at 2.1 percent, Watcha at 1.3 percent and sports streaming service SPOTV NOW at 0.9 percent.
The data was released as Tving, which ranked second in usage time, faces government scrutiny over a data breach involving an estimated 19.53 million users, more than 6.5 million above the government's initial estimate. The breach is the fourth-largest personal data leak in South Korea's history, behind Coupang, Cyworld and SK Telecom.
The compromised information included login IDs, names, birth dates, passwords and bank account details used for refunds. Authorities are investigating whether the breach also covered former users, dormant accounts and accounts created through partner services.
Tving has apologized and said it is cooperating with a joint public-private investigation into the cause, scale and impact of the breach.
Wiseapp Retail said its estimates were based on a sample survey of South Korean Android and iOS smartphone users.
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