A Measure of Platform ‘Stickiness’
Average session duration is a key performance indicator (KPI) for any streaming service or content platform. A ‘session’ is defined as a single, continuous period of user activity. It begins when a user opens the app or website and ends when they close it or become inactive for a set period. The average session duration is the total time spent by all users divided by the total number of sessions.
For a subscription service like Netflix or Disney+, a long average session duration is a strong sign of a healthy and engaging platform. It suggests that users are not just ‘snacking’—opening the app to watch one specific thing and then immediately leaving—but are instead ‘grazing,’ browsing the library, discovering new content, and settling in for an extended period of viewing. The ultimate goal of the platform is to maximize this metric.
How Platforms Increase Session Duration
Many of the core features of modern streaming services are explicitly designed to prolong a user’s session:
- Autoplay: The automatic playback of the next episode in a series is the most powerful and effective tool for encouraging binge-watching and extending a session.
- Effective Recommendations: The more successfully the platform’s algorithm recommends another piece of content the user wants to watch, the longer the session will last.
- Engaging User Interface (UI): A visually appealing, fast, and intuitive interface that encourages browsing and discovery can keep a user on the platform longer, even if they aren’t actively watching something.
A high average session duration is a strong proxy for customer satisfaction and is closely correlated with lower ‘churn,’ or the rate at which subscribers cancel their service.