Providing market intelligence for more than 35 years

In The News

Prime Video Continues to Best Netflix in US Subscriptions; 89% of Broadband Households Are Streaming

New data revealed by Parks Associates shows that while Netflix may be the top global streaming platform, it doesn’t have the most subscribers of any domestic service.

  • New data from Parks Associates estimates Prime Video has more domestic subscribers than Netflix.
  • Parks’ numbers also show that YouTube Premium has cracked the top 10 of streaming services for the first time.
  • Eighty-nine percent of broadband homes now have at least one streaming service, and 29% of homes have eight services or more.

Despite Netflix’s lofty subscriber numbers, the market intelligence firm Parks Associates says it’s not number one in the U.S. in terms of customers. That title goes to Amazon’s Prime Video, which does not publicly report its own subscriber tally. Nevertheless, Parks estimates that it has more than 77.32M customers than Netflix has in the United States, no doubt aided by the fact that Amazon Prime subscribers get Prime Video included in their subscription.

Another interesting piece of information from the Parks report is the fact that YouTube Premium is now in the top 10 of U.S. streaming platforms in terms of subscribers, beating out services like MGM+, AMC+, and others. YouTube has always been popular in among American audiences, but the fact that so many users are willing to pay to skip ads on the service shows their commitment to using it as a primary source of entertainment.

Parks’ data also shows that ad-supported streaming platforms are continuing to gather steam. Eighty-nine percent of households with internet subscribe to at least one streaming service, and 29% are subscribed to eight over-the-top (OTT) services or more.

But how is that possible in an era where streaming costs continue to rise and budgets are shrinking? The numbers from Parks show that 41% of broadband-equipped households have watched an ad-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) service in the past 30 days. The use of free streaming platforms like Pluto TV and The Roku Channel are clearly helping customers fill in their entertainment gaps while saving money.

“The market for subscription services is saturated, and consumers continue to experiment with ad-supported services as they evaluate their budgets,” said Eric Sorensen, Director of the Streaming Video Tracker at Parks Associates.

From the article, "Prime Video Continues to Best Netflix in US Subscriptions; 89% of Broadband Households Are Streaming" by David Satin

Previously In The News

Netflix raises prices on U.S.-based plans

Beyond its immediate effect on subscribers, the price increase foreshadows a future in which the streaming video market is dominated by a handful of players that have captured the majority of a family...

You don’t have to feel guilty about sharing your TV log-in

Last year, research firm Parks Associates found that 16 percent of U.S. households with broadband admitted either borrowing video log-ins or sharing their own credentials. For many people under 40, sh...

Roku pushes into the audio wars with $200 speakers made just for your television

The firm has built a reputation for inexpensive, simple television accessories and leads Amazon’s Fire TV, Google’s Chromecast and the Apple TV in the U.S. market, according to research company Parks...

Starving for Kitchen Technology

The home builder is making it easy for set up and for ongoing management. In a 2017 Parks Associates report, Smart Kitchens: Intelligent Planning Shopping and Cooking, one-fifth of smart appliances ow...