Newly released data from Parks Associates lists the most subscribed to over the top (OTT) services in the United States.
The results of the new streaming services study find, according to Parks Associates, a change in the three most popular services since it started to track these numbers back in 2015. Parks Associates points out the big change is that Disney+ now ranks higher than Hulu to move into its top three services.
“While the Disney+ content portfolio may have allowed it to leapfrog stablemate Hulu in 2021 rankings; its position reaffirms the collective power of the Disney Bundle triumvirate: Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN+,” states Paul Erickson, director of research, Parks Associates.
“ViacomCBS’ successful rebrand and content-fueled reformulation of CBS All Access into Paramount+ have allowed it to leapfrog Apple TV+ into seventh place right behind ESPN+, and time will tell if the services break into the top five.”
A Closer Look at Parks Associates’ 2021 Top 10 Streaming Services List
Beyond the research firm’s top five most popular streaming services there are also several other well known content providers: ESPN+, Paramount+, Apple TV+, Stars and Showtime. To arrive at the results of its data, Parks Associates surveys more than 10,000 U.S. households to formulate its top 10 list, and the company notes that 2021 was a big year for online streaming services.
“Broadband providers added an estimated 6.4 million residential customers to date in 2021, showing rapid growth,” comments Kristen Hanich, director of research, Parks Associates.
“The importance of bundling pay TV with home broadband is diminishing though our Home Services Dashboard finds that only 38% of U.S. broadband households bundle pay TV with their home Internet service, a significant decline from past levels.”
Not surprisingly, Parks Associates adds that U.S. households continue to embrace streaming services from some of the top providers in home entertainment.
“In Q3 [third quarter]2021 19% of U.S. broadband households reported subscribing to a vMVPD [Virtual Multichannel Video Programming Distributors] service, [which is] nearly double from the previous year,” emphasizes Eric Sorensen, contributing senior analyst, Park Associates.
“By 2024, the U.S. vMVPD subscriber base will increase to more than 23 million households. All players will continue vying for the leading positions.”
Some streaming content is even more enticing for home theater owners these days beyond AV with the addition of D-Box motion encoding, too.
Here’s Parks Associates’ 2021 list of the the 10 most popular streaming services:
- Netflix
- Amazon Prime Video
- Disney+
- Hulu
- HBO Max
- ESPN+
- Paramount+
- Apple TV+
- Starz
- Showtime
