U.S. consumers spent an average of $47 per month in December 2020 on video subscription services, up by 24% from $38 in April last year, according to a new survey of nearly 2,000 U.S. adults by analysts J.D. Power.
Americans now subscribe to an average of four streaming services, up from three prior to the COVID pandemic, with 49% of respondents subscribed to at least four or more.
There has been considerable growth in that high subscription area – the number of people in the survey subscribed to either just one, two or three services saw drop-offs of 3-4% each, while those with four, five or six services saw slight rises of 1-2%.
The biggest jump was the number of people subscribing to at least seven services with that portion jumping from 8% in April to 13% by December.
All of this is being fueled both by the arrival of new streamers, the slow death of pay-TV and shut down public venues for most of 2020. No-one is clear how large a wave of SVOD cancellations might arrive in the months ahead once the pandemic eases.
The safest of the SVOD services without a doubt is Netflix with 81% of respondents subscribed to it. That was followed by Amazon Prime (65%), Hulu (56%), Disney+ (47%), HBO Max (22%), Peacock (18%), Apple TV+ (14%), ESPN+ (13%), CBS All Access (10%) and Showtime & Starz (both 9%).
Netflix also had the least amount of problems according to consumers, the platform considered the most stable with Amazon and HBO Max coming in next nearest. Peacock was by far the most problematic with Disney+ coming in behind it.
Source: Variety