Who’s winning the COVID-19 streaming wars?
America may be seeking more live TV as streaming services offered by traditional television providers appear to be seeing a healthy boost in subscriber numbers.
According to a survey conducted by YouGov for Variety Intelligence Platform at the end of April, more than a quarter (27%) of Americans who have used AT&T TV Now in the last 12 months said they subscribed to the service in the previous 30 days, while 21 percent of those who have used Hulu with Live TV said they signed up in the previous 30 days. Of users of CBS All Access, 18 percent said they subscribed during the month of April.
The streaming giants saw modest COVID-19 gains on the month. Of those who said they’ve used the service in the last 12 months, five percent said they subscribed to Amazon Prime in April, 15 percent said they subscribed to Disney+ and five percent said they subscribed to Netflix.
While cable TV subscriptions are low on the list, Millennials are more likely than the general US population who have used the service in the past to say they’ve subscribed to cable TV (10%) in the last 30 days.
Survey data also shows Netflix users are most likely to say they’ve been watching content on the platform. Close to three in five Americans who have used the service in the last 12 months say they’re watching more, as the platform rolled out high-profile must-watch-during-quarantine titles like “Tiger King” and “The Last Dance.”
Meanwhile, YouGov monthly data on America’s streaming habits shows which services are “must-haves” in the eyes of consumers have remained constant during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Netflix remains the leader in this category, with 46 percent of Americans saying it’s a must-have service. Roughly a quarter (26%) say so of Amazon Prime Video, 22 percent of Hulu and 13 percent of Disney+.
Methodology: Total sample size was 1,462 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 28th - 29th April 2020. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all US adults (aged 18+). See full results
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