For various reasons, we’ve all had to cancel a service here and there since streaming became one of the primary ways to get entertainment at home. There can be any number of reasons to cancel a service; prices go up, content disappears, etc. But a recent study by Sparrow shows that monthly searches for how to cancel streaming services are growing. I dug into the data to see what conclusions can be drawn about why so many people are looking to cancel their subscriptions, despite the fact that the market has essentially reached maturity.

According to the data from Sparrow, Amazon Prime — including the Prime Video streaming service — is the subscription that users are most interested in canceling. More than 575,000 people search for a way to cancel their Prime subscription each month, using phrases like “unsubscribe,” “delete,” “cancel,” and “cancel subscription.” However, given that there are likely far more people who use Amazon Prime’s discount and free shipping features than the streaming video, it is difficult to determine how many of those cancellation inquiries are about e-commerce and how many are about streaming.

Disney+ comes in second with 397,000 searches per month, followed by Hulu at 149,700. In total, six of the top 10 services that consumers are looking to cancel most often are video streaming platforms, if you include Amazon Prime.

Check out the top 10 services customers are looking to cancel in the chart below:

Several conclusions can be drawn from this data. The placement of Prime so high on the list — with more than half a million searches every month — seems to indicate that consumers are worried about the economy. The reasons for these worries are readily apparent to every news watcher; the current presidential administration’s mixed messages on tariffs have partner nations as confused as American consumers.

Worries about inflation and tariffs clearly already have some Americans thinking about ways to cut their budgets. A subscription to Prime costs $15 per month, and many shoppers might think now is a good time to let go of a subscription to an e-commerce platform that is so easy to overspend on, especially if they watch Prime Video sparingly and only make an order or two every month.

When taking a step back and looking at the data holistically, I think the main conclusion to draw is that when economic times become a little tougher, entertainment is most likely to be looked at as disposable for many consumers. Especially when one considers how many streaming subscriptions are available these days, it’s not a stretch to see why so many viewers think canceling one or two is an easy way to ease their monthly budget.

I also think that the introduction of ads to most streaming services is helping to make customers think of them as less premium services worthy of spending money on. There was a time when ad-free streaming was almost sacrosanct in the industry, a key way that streamers set themselves apart from linear TV. But now, with streaming overtaking traditional TV as the way most Americans watch different types of content, nearly every streaming service has launched an ad tier as a way to pull in additional revenue.

Ad loads on some streamers are even approaching those seen on linear channels, and customers can be forgiven for feeling that streamers are no longer interested in providing a premium viewing experience; therefore, many likely are no longer interested in paying the ever-increasing prices.

The data also illustrates another way in which Netflix is head-and-shoulders above the competition. Although, on average, 93,100 people search for ways to cancel Netflix every month, that comes out to just 0.03% of its global subscriber base. This demonstrates how incredibly loyal Netflix customers are to the streamer; to the point where it almost seems to be viewed as a utility while all other services are supplemental options.

When I talk to friends and family about the state of the streaming industry, the most frequent response I get is that streaming is growing more and more like cable, which frustrates them. Higher prices, commercials everywhere, and difficult-to-locate content degrade the user experience, and when you factor in the relative ease of canceling a streamer as compared to getting out of a long-term cable contract, audiences are empowered to take more control over their subscriptions and cancel whatever and whenever they like.

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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.”

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The platform constantly updates its catalog, introducing fresh content alongside timeless classics and international hits. Netflix’s commitment to storytelling has also earned critical acclaim, with award-winning exclusives such as “Roma,” “Marriage Story,” “The Power of the Dog,” “Mank,” and “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” In 2023, their animated film “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” won an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, further solidifying Netflix’s reputation for high-quality content.

Recently, Netflix has expanded beyond standard movies and TV titles with the addition of video podcasts, and is also exploring a digital store that would offer third-party streamers within the app.

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