Viewers are turning to specialty streamers to find something new
Viewers are turning to specialty streamers to find something new
A new report from Antenna shows that specialty streaming services are seeing an uptick in subscriptions this year.
Are you feeling the need to try something new? Are the same old shows on the same old streamers just not doing it for you anymore? Antenna’s latest State of Subscriptions report indicates that many audience members may be feeling that way at the moment. The study has interesting data on subscriptions, churn, and growth, particularly when it comes to niche streaming services that specialize in a particular type of content.
Key Details:
- Outpacing the rest:Specialty streamer subscriptions are growing at a faster rate than any other streamer type.
- One out of three: Almost one-third of streaming customers have transacted with a specialty streamer.
- Churn rate down: The churn rate for specialty SVODs is at a low point, after reaching 9.2% in January.
The data from Antenna shows that audiences are increasingly turning to specialty streaming services like Acorn TV, Crunchyroll, ViX Premium, and other similar platforms that focus on a particular genre or programming specialty. An increase in viewership for these services could be attributable to audiences trying to stretch their wings from a streaming perspective, trying new content instead of turning back to the same old services.
Specialty subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) streamers now account for 11% of all streaming subscriptions, up from 10% in the second quarter of 2025. This segment of streaming services grew 22% year-over-year in 2024 and 12% in 2025, showing strong continued growth. No other type of streaming service is currently growing at this fast a rate.
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The data from Antenna shows that in the second quarter of 2025, the number of customers who transacted with an SVOD service altogether grew to 177 million. The portion of the audience that has transacted with a specialty SVOD now stands at 56 million, an increase of 68% over the second quarter of 2023. All in all, 32% of viewers have now tried a specialty streamer at least once, as compared with 24% who have transacted with a sports streamer, and 18% who have tried a live TV streaming service, also known as a virtual multi-channel video programming distributor (vMVPD).
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This data shows once again that as the years have passed, customers who are already in the streaming environment are more and more willing to try new titles that aren’t available on more mainstream services like Netflix. Customers know what the big players in the industry offer, and they’re not afraid to try something different on occasion.
Churn rates have also fallen fast for specialty streaming services since January, reflecting a larger trend in the streaming world overall. Streamers often come with deep discounts during the holidays, and specialty services are no different; customers are likely signing up for these discounts, then canceling when the promotional payment window ends. That caused the churn rate for specialty SVODS to peak at around 9.2% in January, but since then it has fallen to 6.6%
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That lower churn rate could indicate that specialty SVODs simply don’t have that many customers left, so the departure rate has slowed. But as the first chart in this analysis shows, specialty SVODs account for a larger portion of SVOD subscriptions than they did in the year-ago quarter, and are still growing faster than other types of streamers as of Q2 2025.
Sports SVOD services will almost certainly see an uptick in Q3, when the fall sports season will bring fans back into the fold. But the data from Antenna shows that specialty streaming services are growing, and have a robust audience of viewers that are tired of the same old fare from mainstream services.
Acorn TV
Acorn TV is an excellent choice for viewing television programming (and the occasional film) produced outside the United States, primarily content from the United Kingdom. The service also creates original content and has a library of hundreds of TV shows. Of particular note are their award-winning mysteries and dramas. Popular hits include “Happy Valley,” “Line of Duty,” “Murdoch Mysteries,” “MIdsomer Murders,” and “Poldark.”