In their new TV and streaming snapshot “The Gauge,” Nielsen reported 26 percent of all television consumption was done through various streaming services, including Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+. Netflix led the pack with 6 percent of the streaming share, but YouTube (which also includes YouTube TV) and Hulu (which also includes Hulu Live TV) were close behind.
Streaming’s 26 percent narrowly edges broadcast TV’s 25 percent and is inching closer to cable’s 39 percent share. The full split can be seen below, courtesy of Nielsen:
“The past year has categorically shifted the television viewing landscape,” said says Brian Fuhrer, SVP of product strategy at Nielsen. “Even as people begin to dive back into their pre-pandemic activities, based on the changes many made to enable streaming coupled with the variety of newly introduced services, we expect people to keep sampling and exploring their options. Maybe just as importantly, as production ramps back up, new content will enter the space, driving additional traction.”
Streaming usage has exploded since the pandemic began last year, though subscriber growth is slowing as the world returns to some sort of normalcy. 2020 subscription and consumption numbers were stellar across the board, though the early 2021 number seem to be a bit off the mark for certain companies. Netflix missed its subscriber projections for Q1 of this year, as did Disney+ in Q2.
Netflix
Netflix is a subscription video streaming service that includes on-demand access to 3,000+ movies, 2,000+ TV Shows, and Netflix Originals like Stranger Things, Squid Game, The Crown, Tiger King, and Bridgerton. They are constantly adding new shows and movies. Some of their Academy Award-winning exclusives include Roma, Marriage Story, Mank, and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.
However, it’s not all doom and gloom — HBO Max has grown tremendously over the past year, thanks to blockbuster films like “Wonder Woman 1984,” “Zack Snyder's Justice League,” “Godzilla vs. Kong,” and “Mortal Kombat” coming to the service, and should continue to grow due to its new ad-supported option. Discovery’s streaming service discovery+ has also grown exponentially, powering the company to 15 million total streaming subscribers across all of their channels. These two companies will join forces in the near future and become Warner Bros. Discovery, which should offer plenty of growth opportunities in the future.
Max
Max is a subscription video streaming service that gives access to the full HBO library, along with exclusive Max Originals. There are hubs for content from TLC, HGTV, Food Network, Discovery, TCM, Cartoon Network, Travel Channel, ID, and more. Watch hit series like “The Last of Us,” “House of the Dragon,” “Succession,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” and more. Thanks to the B/R Sports add-on, users can watch NBA, MLB, NHL, March Madness, and NASCAR events.