Amazon Prime Video Dominates in Map of Most Popular Streaming Services by State

New data courtesy of Electrical Direct in the form of a map revealing each state’s most popular streaming platform gives us an interesting look at the streaming market landscape from a different angle.

Judging by their metrics, Amazon Prime Video is the most popular of all the streaming platforms, dominating the pack, leading in 37 states.

You can’t spell “streaming” without Netflix, and yet the entertainment-on-demand pioneer surprisingly comes in first in only six states, narrowly beating out ESPN’s five.

Hulu is apparently doing good by some viewers, as it has come in at number one in both Massachusetts and Montana.

I guess this, combined with the company's less than stellar first-quarter numbers, means that Netflix’s supremacy has shockingly come to an end, right?

Not so fast.

Before we can expect to see Netflix hand the belt over to Amazon as the new reigning champ among streaming platforms, it’s important to take this information with a grain of salt. Electrical Direct gathered their data by counting Google search engine inquires for 42 different streaming platforms, which more than likely lumped searches for “Amazon Prime” shipping in with inquiries regarding the similarly-named video streaming service that comes along with it.

That theory is actually more interesting than it seems that at first glance, because it speaks both to Amazon’s Trojan Horse strategy with regard to juicing its Prime Video subscription numbers as well as the fact that many Amazon Prime customers aren’t even aware or interested in the fact that when they opt-in for expedited shipping services, that they also have access to a hefty library of streaming content.

Amazon’s Prime delivery service has exceeded 200 million members worldwide, according to a letter founder Jeff Bezos sent to shareholders, but the company has been tight-lipped about more specific details regarding their numbers.

Regardless, Amazon’s omnipresence and name recognition along with its continued growth make it a contender. It’s also amassing some goodwill among its users, with over 70% of the service's new subscribers gained during the pandemic saying that they intend to keep their membership. However, once again, the numbers get fuzzy because they don’t necessarily reveal whether subscribers intend to stick around for high-quality programming or because they like to have items arrive at their door the day after they order them.

Electrical Direct also includes international maps in their report, which are generally a little less surprising with Netflix coming out on top overall in most countries that don’t face strict government regulation with regard to internet usage and media consumption. It shows the effectiveness of Netflix’s early foundational work with regard to the new frontier of global market expansion that all streamers are gearing up for.

Google searches and disappointing quarterly result aside, Netflix’s massive lead ahead of the competition and the company’s reputation for content that keeps viewers engaged means it will probably be quite some time before they abandon the throne, even as a whole crop of new competitors continue to take bites out of its market share.