Nearly Half of Viewers Turn on These Five Apps When They Start Watching TV
Nearly Half of Viewers Turn on These Five Apps When They Start Watching TV
Unsurprisingly, Netflix leads all streamers as the first thing viewers turn to when they power on their set.
Streaming’s viewership milestones have continually augmented throughout the summer. Nielsen recorded that streaming surpassed the 40% threshold of total TV viewing for the first time in June, and YouTube became the biggest distributor of television in the United States in another historical first. New research from Hub is helping to continue this trend, as its latest survey indicates that one of the so-called “Big Five” streaming services is the most likely place viewers will navigate to first when they turn on their TVs in 2024, surpassing live TV sources for the first time.
Key Details:
- Forty-six percent of customers are choosing a top streamer first, as opposed to 38% who are picking a live TV source.
- Netflix is turned on first by 26% of respondents, tying cable for the most of any single source.
- Live content like news and sports continue to draw viewers to cable and broadcast.
The “Big Five” subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) services as defined by Hub include Disney+, Hulu, Max, Netflix, and Prime Video. Forty-six percent of respondents to Hub’s survey said they were turning on one of these five services first when they turned on their television, as opposed to 38% who say they opt for a cable, live TV streaming, or over-the-air (OTA) source like local broadcast channels.
This is the first time since Hub began tracking first-stop viewing sources among video customers in 2019 that streaming has surpassed live TV options. Being a first choice for customers is key for streaming services since these default options are much less likely to be considered expendable.
Of the Big Five streamers included in Hub’s survey, Netflix is the single most popular choice for viewers when first turning on their TVs. Hub found that 26% of all respondents turned to Netflix as their first stop, tied with the percentage who say cable (excluding live TV streaming services or OTA sources) is their top choice. Hulu is second among on-demand streamers, followed by Prime Video, Max and Disney+.
Netflix’s popularity in this regard is confirmed by how loyal Hub respondents say they are to the streamer. In a hypothetical scenario in which survey participants were told they had to drop one video, only 16% said Netflix would be the service they dropped. Pay-TV plans were the most popular choice to be let go, with 22% saying they’d bid farewell to one of these first. Only 14% said they’d get rid of Max if compelled to drop a service.
Which Content Draws Viewers to Which Type of Service?
Hub’s study also broke down which kinds of content viewers were looking for when they chose to turn on a particular service. Streamers did best when viewers were on the hunt for their favorite TV show; 42% of viewers who default to a streaming service said they sought out one of the “Big Five” platforms because it housed their favorite series.
Unsurprisingly, live news and sports were the biggest draw for customers who said they went to a live TV source first. Fifty percent of this segment identified live sports and news as their biggest draw; on-demand services are continuing to boost the number of live sports and news they carry, but they still don’t come up to the level of services like DIRECTV STREAM or Sling TV in that regard.
Hub also found that viewers who turned to free ad-supported streamers like Pluto TV or Tubi were mostly looking for a good mix of content, as 48% of FAST-first audiences identified themselves as such because of the increased variety.
“The first stop people turn to watch will always be the one that has the highest loyalty, and favorite shows can deepen those loyalties across streamers,” said Jason Platt Zolov, Senior Consultant for Hub. “While football and the election may help keep cable TV viewers watching this fall, we can expect a quicker abandonment of cable as live sports becomes more easily available online.”
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.”