Report: Prime Video Holds Largest Streaming Market Share in U.S.; Max Overtakes Disney+
It can be hard to think of Netflix as second-best in anything. It’s the world's largest streaming service at 232.5 million users, and it’s the only streamer that regularly shows healthy profits, as the rest of its competitors are still working out the calculus on how to consistently make money.
But in terms of overall market share in the United States, Netflix is not No. 1, even if that determination is a little convoluted. According to data from JustWatch, as reported by 9to5 Mac, Prime Video continues to hold a larger share than Netflix, and its number currently sits at 21% of the total domestic streaming market. Netflix’s number is 20%, showing that while it may dominate worldwide, it’s not the top streamer overall in the world’s biggest streaming market.
Of course, Prime Videos numbers are buoyed by the substantial Amazon Prime subscriber base that gets access to Prime Video included. What JustWatch’s numbers don’t break down is how many Amazon Prime customers actively engage with Prime Video on a weekly or monthly basis. Therefore, analyzing the numbers of the top two domestic streaming services is a bit like comparing apples and oranges, but the broad strokes remain the same.
In good news for Warner Bros. Discovery, its streamer Max has surpassed Disney+ for the third spot overall. Max now holds 15% of the market share, two percentage points ahead of Disney+ at 13%. Disney does hold the fourth and fifth spots on the list, as its general entertainment streamer Hulu rounds out the top five with an 11% market share.
Max is a big experiment for WBD, so it’s good news that the streamer is performing well thus far in the U.S. market. Max is a combination of the libraries of discovery+ and HBO Max, which was sunsetted in favor of the new app on May 23. WBD saw several technical issues with the launch of Max, including its notable replacement of writer, director and producer credits with a generic “creator” label on its titles. That issue caused a major uproar, but a fix is currently being applied to the platform.
April and May were the biggest months for Max viewership, which not only coincides with the launch of the new service, but the airing of the fourth and final season of HBO’s prestige comedy/drama “Succession.” The series likely drove big engagement for Max, helping it overtake Disney+ for the third position. Max executives have to hope that series like “The Righteous Gemstones” can keep users engaging while Disney+ revives the MCU in “Secret Invasion” this summer.
It’s hard to say what the fall TV schedule will have in store for these streamers. The Writers Guild of America strike continues to leave new productions at a standstill, so streaming platforms might be a little lighter on content in the next few months than they are historically. That will mean each streaming provider will have to get creative with the content they already have in the can and the type of unscripted content they have in the pipeline and use any methods necessary to keep the market share they’ve worked so hard to acquire.
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.