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

Roku Pays to be a Player

Roku still inhabits an enviable position in the streaming wars. The company powers about 38% of streaming devices and connected TVs in the U.S., according to Parks Associates, representing a leading m...

Family-Focused Frndly TV Reaches Carriage Deal With A+E Networks

“What Frndly TV delivers is very focused—it’s not trying to be all things for all people,” said Paul Erickson, a senior analyst at Parks Associates, a research firm. From the article "Family-Focuse...

New Trends Driving Growth in Streaming Services

It is important to understand the different types of services offered and how Parks Associates defines them, as well as examples of some of the major players in each category. OTT services experien...

Why You Should—or Shouldn’t—Buy a Home Security Camera

Home surveillance cameras—from Ring, Nest, Arlo and others—are the eyes and ears of many neighborhoods. Around 14% of U.S. households with broadband have installed an internet-connected camera, accord...