Which Ad-Supported Streaming Plans Offer Best Value? Which Streamer Provides Best Bang for Your Buck?
Ad-supported streaming is a boon to both users and the companies that own them. They offer the chance to access premium streaming platforms like Disney+, Netflix, Paramount+, and Peacock for a lower price, and still carry far fewer commercials than traditional broadcast and cable TV sources. That helps explain why nearly one-third of all new subscriptions to streaming platforms in 2022 were for ad-supported plans.
The streaming aggregation platform ReelGood has released some new data which helps show which of these services offers the most bang for your buck. The data shows that HBO Max still has the most expensive ad-supported streaming plan at $9.99 per month. Newcomers to the ad-supported streaming game Netflix and Disney+ are middle-of-the-road in terms of price, at $6.99 and $7.99 per month respectively. Platforms like discovery+, Peacock, and Paramount+ round out the bottom price tier at $4.99 each monthly.
In terms of the sheer volume of content, no streamer can beat out Netflix. Its ad-supported tier carries a total of 2,355 television titles, beating out the next-closest competitor discovery+ by nearly 400 shows. It also carries a larger proportion of high-quality shows (rated 8.0 or higher on IMDb) than any streamer besides Hulu and HBO Max.
But because Netflix comes in at a higher price point than discovery+, it actually loses out to that streaming platform in terms of TV shows available per dollar spent. The count for discovery+ stands at 398, while Netflix’s shows-per-dollar total is 337, though it should be noted that Netflix still wins in the category of quality and top-quality TV shows. Most of discovery+’s content will be merged onto HBO Max on May 23, which will help that service’s currently-anemic showing of 66 TV series per dollar spent on its ad-supported tier.
Netflix is also the lead streaming service when it comes to a total number of movies offered on its ad-supported plan. Netflix’s Standard with Ads plan offers 3,786 movies, with over 2,000 of these being quality or top quality-rated. Peacock is the only other service that crosses the 3,000 mark, though HBO Max stands above its competitors in terms of the largest amount of high-quality titles.
But when ReelGood breaks down its data in terms of movies per dollar, Netflix falls out of the top spot on the list once again. As the first destination for Universal movies, once they leave theaters, Peacock is one of the best destinations in the streaming market for movies, and at a price point of $4.99 per month, its ad-supported plan beats Netflix’s, offering 675 movies per dollar to Netflix’s 542.
So what does all this mean for the average streaming user? Basically, it means that users have the power of choice when it comes to determining which ad-supported streaming plans to sign up for. If they’d rather get access to a staggering volume of content, Netflix is the way to go. If they want a good intersection of content and price, discovery+ or Peacock are the best bets. If they want a bigger proportion of high-quality shows and movies, HBO Max is the streamer to pick.
It can be difficult to know which streaming service to choose next, and the number of average sources customers are getting their video from is dropping. That means it’s more vital than ever for streamers to stand out among their competition, to show users why they should pick that service to stick with. Users of ad-supported streaming plans will find this new data from ReelGood invaluable, as it shows conclusively which services have the most content, and which offer the best value.
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.