Viewers turn to streaming first, but loyalty remains tricky
Viewers turn to streaming first, but loyalty remains tricky
New data from Hub Research shows that customers are picking streamers more often than ever when turning on their TV.
Just about everyone has a streaming service these days — at least, everyone who wants one. But which type of TV content a viewer turns to first when they flip on their set is highly important for programmers and distributors; after all, the first thing a person turns on is something they’re quite likely to continue engaging with in the short and long term. The new “Decoding the Default” study from Hub Research is shedding light on whether TV or streaming is getting more first-look viewership, and which customers are more loyal to.
Key Details:
- Streaming first: A combined 57% of viewers turn to a subscription or free streamer first when turning on the TV.
- Netflix leads the way: Nearly 20% of people say they turn on Netflix as their default programming.
- Pay-TV still holds sway: If allowed to keep only one provider, most users would choose to stay with a pay-TV bundle.
According to Hub’s numbers, in 2025, a combined 57% of viewers turn to a subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) streaming service like Netflix or Hulu, or a free streamer such as YouTube first when they turn on the TV. That far outnumbers the 32% who say they go to live TV (either broadcast or cable channels) first when they power up their sets.
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Five years ago, live TV was the most-given answer when customers were asked what their default video type was when turning on the TV. Streaming was close to surpassing it, but hadn’t yet, and free streamers weren’t even measured as a data point yet.
Among viewers 16 to 34, SVOD services are the first stop when turning on the TV for an outright majority (56%). Another 22% go to YouTube or another free streamer first, while only 15% say they go to live TV first. Among viewers 3%+, 42% turn on live TV first when they turn on their sets, as compared to 32% who prefer to pick a streamer first.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Netflix is the most-turned-to streaming service among streamers sampled in the Hub survey. Nineteen percent of respondents said they turn on Netflix first when they begin a viewing session, compared to 11% for YouTube, and 5% for Hulu. As shown above, 32% of audiences turn on live TV first when they start watching. The number jumps to 26% for Netflix among customers 16-34, and 18% of this cohort turns on YouTube first.
With that in mind, however, customers still think of pay-TV bundles as the most indispensable of these services. Almost certainly, this is because such platforms can offer so much brand-name entertainment in a single place, whereas the content offered by streaming services is more fragmented.
The data from Hub shows that 47% of all respondents surveyed would keep a network bundle with live TV if they were only allowed to have one provider, and that number jumps up to 78% when considering only customers who are already subscribed to such a service. Netflix was the most-chosen streamer among all customers when confronted with the choice of saving only one streaming service, with 29% saying they’d go with it.
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“The data is clear: being a viewer’s default dramatically increases the likelihood they’ll keep you,” Hub consultant and study author Christina Pisano. “First-stop status drives more sessions, more time spent, and higher retention. That’s why the battle for the TV home base is the most important fight in today’s entertainment landscape.”
Netflix
Netflix is a leading subscription-based video streaming service that offers on-demand access to an extensive library of over 3,000 movies, 2,000+ TV shows, and a growing collection of acclaimed Netflix originals. Renowned for producing groundbreaking content, Netflix has become a cultural powerhouse with hit originals like “Stranger Things,” “Wednesday,” “Squid Game,” “The Crown,” “Tiger King,” “Bridgerton,” “The Witcher,” and “Black Mirror.”