What Are the Most Popular Subscription Streaming Services for Cord-Cutters, Cable Subscribers, Antenna Users?

Americans are faced with an ever-increasing variety of options when it comes to television viewing platforms. From antenna to cable to streaming services, the choices are almost endless. When it comes to subscription streaming services, there are several that lead the pack. In a recent study, Scripps Networks revealed exactly which services are the most popular among American households.

While cord-cutting has continued unabated since the trend began more than a decade ago, that does not mean that streaming is the only option for TV viewing. A growing number of people are opting for the old-school, free, over-the-air (OTA) broadcast channels available via an antenna. The study indicates that half of the 2,000 TV consumers surveyed indicated that if they didn’t already own an antenna, they would “consider buying a digital antenna during the next year.”

However, antenna-using cord-cutters are also streaming customers, but their needs invariably are different than those who rely on live TV streaming services. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the biggest difference in terms of streaming service usage by antenna users vs. customers who opt for a different way to get traditional TV is on Hulu.

In terms of antenna users, 55% also subscribe to Hulu, while only 48% of TV viewers who have cable, satellite, or a live TV streamer do as well. While the service has an impressive library of original shows and movies, it is first and foremost a platform that provides access to TV episodes the day after they air. So, Hulu can essentially work as a DVR of sorts for antenna users, who might not be able to watch ABC and FOX programs live, with all of the benefits of providing access to the associated cable channel content as well.

Conversely, HBO is the premium service that more traditional TV users opt for than do antenna viewers. This also makes sense, as the linear version of the channel is only available via cable and satellite, meaning that many people get it through their pay-TV subscription already. But also, HBO Max provides a relatively cheap option to get the prestige content from the channel without the cable bill. While not a blanket truth, people who decide to go with an antenna for their TV delivery are likely not as concerned about all of the different must-watch options across the entertainment landscape, meaning their priorities in terms of stacking streaming services tend to be different than their pay-TV brethren.

What Are the Most Popular Streaming Services Among TV Customers?

Over time, the share of the streaming market has changed for many streamers. A new report from media research company Antenna indicates that since 2019, there has been a noticeable shift in the distribution of services across the streaming environment. While Netflix is still the world’s largest streaming service, eclipsing 230 million users worldwide, as it has achieved maturity and is essentially in at a saturation point in the United States, it has seen its percentage of the market shrink as more players enter the streaming space. In 2019, Netflix had a dominant 43% of the market share compared to Hulu’s 23% and the then-recently launched Disney+’s 13%.

As of the end of 2022, Netflix’s percentage has dropped down to a still first-place 25% and Disney+ has held more-or-less steady at 12%, Hulu has also fallen to 16%. Of course, it’s important to realize that these declines don’t necessarily mean that the services are struggling, instead, they represent the fact that more media companies are not only getting into the streaming space but are also investing heavily in their respective platforms.

For example, in 2019, [CBS All-Access] came in at just 5% of the market. After being rebranded in 2021 as Paramount+ to reflect the company’s wider content offerings, the service has grown to 11%. An even more extreme example is Peacock, which didn’t even exist in 2019, but has grown steadily — especially over the past year — to come in at 9%, the fifth-highest total.

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As each individual TV viewer determines what they are looking for from their respective TV packages, there will no doubt be further fluctuations. Whether it is a change in consumer preference, consolidation of services, or natural attrition, one thing that the streaming era has taught us is that it is always in flux and that customers will be the ones to determine which services succeed, and which ones don’t.