Domestic SVOD Subs Top U.S. Population
April 12, 2021
There are more subscriptions to streaming video services in the U.S. than people living in the country.
That’s the latest data from Ampere Analysis that shows there are now more subscriptions to services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, HBO Max and Disney+ than the entire U.S. population.
The pandemic and stay-at-home measures, the launch of new studio-backed subscription services, and increased rates of service stacking all contributed to reaching this milestone through March 31.
Subscribe HERE to the FREE Media Play News Daily Newsletter!
There are now nearly 340 million subscriptions, with 57% of Internet users saying that SVOD services are the main way they watch TV and movies. More than 25% of high-speed internet users in now report using five or more streaming services. More than two thirds of online consumers regularly binge watch TV.
Ampere said that globally, the U.S. has the highest level of reported binge watching of any developed market.
“In 2020, pay-TV penetration dropped below 60% for the first time, down from more than 80% at the beginning of 2015, with consumers increasingly shifting to SVOD services,” Toby Holleran, research manager at Ampere, said in a statement. “Alongside growth from the pandemic, 2020 also saw the domestic launches of both Peacock and HBO Max, which grew the market even further.”
Holleran said that as more consumers shifted away from linear TV and streaming service options increased, consumers curated their own content portfolios, leading the overall number of subscriptions to exceed the population.
“In our latest U.S. consumer wave, the average SVOD household took more than four services, and with the more recent launch of services such as Paramount+ and Discovery+, this could grow even further as 2021 progresses,” he said.