Philo grows to 3.4 million active users, 79 million monthly streaming hours

Wallet-conscious streaming service Philo now serves 3.4 million monthly active users with its premium content offerings, including free channels that are supported by ads, The Desk can confirm.

The data point was revealed on a new platform launched this week that offers current and prospective advertisers a glimpse at some of the granular data associated with its streamers and subscribers. The launch of the platform has not been previously reported.

Philo, a private company, offers irregular updates on the number of subscribers who pay for access to its cable networks and on-demand video content. Its last update on that metric came in February, when Philo revealed it had 1.33 million subscribers and was eyeing full profitability by next year.

A spokesperson for Philo reaffirmed the 1.33 million subscriber count, and said the company switched to monthly active users to better account for FAST channel viewing. The company previously offered its FAST channels through its core plan, which costs $28 per month, but launched a standalone free tier last year that allows customers to access and record FAST channels without a subscription.

Free streaming channels have found an audience with younger TV and film fans who are incorporating more FAST platforms into their media diets. That is reflected in Philo’s user demographics: The average age of a Philo user is 35, split almost evenly between male and female customers. (Female users have a slight edge, consisting of 60 percent of Philo’s user base.)

The majority of Philo’s subscribers and FAST users are families with children under the age of 18, and 55 percent of Philo’s audience identifies as multicultural. The average Philo users watches around 3 hours of content each day, with 80 percent of viewing taking place on linear channels, and nearly all Philo use occurs in the living room on a connected TV device, the company said.

Overall, its 3.4 million monthly users deliver over 900 million monthly impressions and stream 79 million hours of content, Philo said.

Popular channels on the service include the History Channel, Paramount Network, A&E, Investigation Discovery, Lifetime and MTV. Philo offers nearly 100 premium cable networks from Paramount Global, AMC Networks, A+E Global Media and the Discovery portfolio of Warner Bros Discovery (WBD), along with other entertainment firms. The four named companies are also among Philo’s investors. Philo doesn’t carry cable networks that offer news or sports, though some of its FAST channels program sports- and news-related content.

In addition to its premium linear and FAST channels, Philo is in the process of integrating a video rental store powered by ROW8, a tech company it acquired last summer. The integration will allow Philo streamers to rent from a library of more than 38,000 movies, according to marketing materials reviewed by The Desk.

Philo is hoping its metrics will renew interest from advertisers — but there are a few companies the streamer doesn’t work with. Ads promoting tobacco products, vaping, marijuana, gambling, gun sales and adult entertainment aren’t allowed on Philo, which owes to the service’s family-friendly nature.

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