Survey: Paramount+ Offers Best Value of Any U.S. Streaming Service, Prime Video Least Valuable
Survey: Paramount+ Offers Best Value of Any U.S. Streaming Service, Prime Video Least Valuable
During times of financial strain for many across the United States, streaming services must convince customers that they provide good value, or they are likely to see subscribers look to spend their money elsewhere. Consumers must feel that they are getting the best possible content offerings for the money that they are paying if they are to judge whether a service is worth keeping or not as they trim their budgets.
Media analytics firm Ampere Analysis has taken a deep dive into the relative value of each streaming service versus its weighted subscription costs. Ampere’s survey estimated the number of people using each pricing tier offered by the services included in the study and then calculated the average price that U.S. customers were paying for the individual streamers.
Perhaps surprisingly to many, Ampere found that Paramount+ offers the best bargain of any domestic streaming service, with a weighted price of $5.94 per month and an estimated actual value of $8.62. That means that the content on Paramount+ is worth almost $2.68 more per month than what customers are paying for a subscription, on average.
Paramount+’s overall content offer is boosted by the breadth of its diverse catalog and the popularity of several hit reality TV franchises. In-house crime and thriller titles add the most value per title to Paramount+, with classics like “The Godfather,” “NCIS,” and “CSI.” But Paramount Global-produced children and family series add considerable value to a different, younger audience segment with titles like “Avatar: The Last Airbender” and “iCarly.” Licensed content does particularly well on the service as well, accounting for 28% of its market value, despite making up just 9% of the total catalog.
“As a later entrant to the U.S. streaming market, Paramount+ is maximizing great value as a marketing tool relative to some of its more established peers. Simultaneously, it is also leveraging the substantial catalogue and key Reality and Entertainment franchises of Paramount Global,” Ampere’s Ben French said. “Our unique analysis shows the huge importance of franchise content and film and TV based on character IP. It also highlights the ongoing importance of licensed content from third-party suppliers, not just to Paramount+ and Disney+ but to all the streaming services analyzed.”
Conversely, Prime Video, HBO Max, Netflix, and discovery+ were all underwater when it came to Ampere’s value analysis for those services. Prime Video’s weighted price of $14.99 per month does not seem to line up well with the $10.38 that the analytics firm assigned it. However, since many Prime Video subscribers receive access to the service because they are Amazon Prime members, it might be more complicated to ascertain just where the most value is coming from in their subscriptions.
Disney+ also did well in Ampere’s study, coming in second overall in terms of value to the consumer. The service offers decades worth of animated titles from the House of Mouse, but also hosts newer content from the Star Wars and Marvel franchises, as well as popular content acquired from other media companies over the years like “The Simpsons.”
The news is not only good for consumers, but it vindicates the decisions made by both services to raise their prices. Ad-free Disney+ saw its monthly subscription fee increase from $7.99 to $10.99 on Dec. 8, when the service launched its ad-supported plan at the old $7.99 price point. Paramount+ has not increased its price yet, but several company executives have stated that such an increase is coming soon.
Apple TV+ was the only other service that Ampere determined was providing more value than it is worth, but it was a modest $0.26 on average.
There’s no knowing what the global economy might do in 2023, but streaming services that position themselves as good values will have a leg up on the competition no matter the economic conditions. At $4.99 per month for a subscription to its ad-supported tier, it’s easy to see why the market considers Paramount+ such a good value. Even when the price inevitably increases, its content library should keep Paramount+ as one of the best streaming services available from a value perspective.
Paramount Plus
Paramount+ is a subscription video streaming service that includes on-demand access to 40,000+ TV show episodes from BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr. and more. Get free access with a Walmart+ subscription.
Paramount+ includes “1883,” “Tulsa King,” “Star Trek: Discovery,” “SpongeBob SquarePants,” and “PAW Patrol.” Subscribers can watch the NFL, college football, The Masters, college basketball, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa, Serie A, and NWSL. The service also offers the option to watch your live CBS affiliate. The upgraded ad-free package includes premium movies and shows from Showtime.