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A lot’s changed over the past year in the streaming world, but one thing hasn’t changed: analysis of the “streaming wars.” Below, I take a look at the most popular United States based streaming video services.
The top 10 US streaming services worldwide
Information below is taken from Wikipedia as of April 30, 2023.
| Rank | Service | Number of subscribers (in millions) | Market share (Q4 2022, per JustWatch) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Netflix | 230.75 | 23% |
| 2 | Amazon Prime Video | 205 | 20% |
| 3 | Disney+ | 161.8 | 18% |
| 4 | HBO Max | 76.8 | 9% |
| 5 | Paramount+ | 55.9 | 7% |
| 6 | Apple TV+ | 50 | 5% |
| 7 | Hulu | 48 | Other services: 21% |
| 8 | Starz | 27 | |
| 9 | ESPN+ | 24.9 | |
| 10 | Discovery+ | 24 |
The top streaming services within the US
Looking at within just the United States, here’s the most popular streaming services (by market share) as of the first quarter of 2023, according to JustWatch.
| Rank | Service | Market share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amazon Prime Video | 21% |
| 2 | Netflix | 20% |
| 3 | Disney+ | 15% |
| 4 | HBO Max | 14% |
| 5 | Hulu | 11% |
| 6 | Paramount+ | 7% |
| 7 | Apple TV+ | 6% |
| 8 | Others | 6% |
Observations
As I’ve written before, despite the “streaming wars” fuss, the most popular streaming services are still the old stand-bys. Netflix and Amazon Prime Video lead worldwide, followed by Disney+, the most popular of the upstarts. HBO Max (or Max as of late May 2023) and Paramount+ round out the top five, followed by Apple TV+; every other streaming service is lumped under “other,” as far as JustWatch is concerned.
Within the United States, the numbers are similar, though with a few US-specific elements. For starters, Prime Video now has more US subscribers than Netflix. I’d guess the latter’s price hikes haven’t exactly helped; however, they’re still the two most popular streaming services. At #3 is Disney+, followed close behind by HBO Max, with Hulu rounding out the top five. Again, three of the top five are the traditional American streaming go-tos: Prime Video, Netflix, and Hulu. Disney+ is, well, Disney, while HBO Max has HBO’s popularity in the US (and Warner Bros.’ catalog) on its side.
Hulu, of course, is only in the United States. However, the Disney-owned Hulu shows are carried on Disney+ outside the US, so “Only Murders in the Building,” “What We Do in the Shadows,” and other Hulu originals are well represented globally. Again, Hulu’s future seems up in the air; however, it’s still popular, and offered in a bundle with Disney+ and ESPN+.
Paramount+ and Apple TV+ seem to be the only other prominent services globally and in the United States that don’t fall into an “other” category. Paramount+ might see its numbers boosted once it fully combines with Showtime.
Discovery+ is popular for reality show fans. Meanwhile, Starz sounds like it’s more popular outside the United States (mostly under the brand “Lionsgate+,” to avoid conflicting with Disney+’s’ “Star” category outside the US); I can’t recall anyone here ever talking much about Starz.
Reminder: you don’t need to buy every service
Overall, if you’re trying to decide on streaming services, your main options are Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, HBO Max/Max, Paramount+, Apple TV+, and (in the US) Hulu. Everything else is either niche, such as PBS Passport and Discovery+, or struggling to get subscribers, such as Peacock.
Again, I don’t advise buying all of these services—contrary to popular belief (or what media conglomerates want), you don’t need to buy every streaming service that exists. (That, and nobody has time to watch every “must-see” TV show.) Either pick three or four services at the most, or set a monthly streaming service budget (such as $30, $40, or $50), and churn or ignore the others.
Image by yousafbhutta from Pixabay
