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Netflix came out on top in viewership among subscription video on demand (SVOD) streaming services during the first half of 2023, finishing the period with a 17 percent viewership share, according to Reelgood data.

The data were from eight major streaming services: Apple TV Plus, Disney Plus, Hulu, Max, Netflix, Paramount Plus, Peacock Premium and Prime Video.

The numbers that Reelgood ran were based on playbacks of U.S. SVOD services initiated in the Reelgood app and website as of July 18, the company said.

Following close behind Netflix for the first half of the year was Amazon’s Prime Video, with a 15.6 percent viewership share. It was followed by Hulu with 14.8 percent, Max with 10.8 percent, Paramount Plus with 7.8 percent, Peacock Premium with 6.5 percent, Disney Plus with 4.6 percent and Apple TV Plus with just 2.1 percent. Other services combined for a 20.6 percent share in the first half of 2023.

Reelgood also provided a breakdown of how much viewership share each of the U.S. streaming services had for the first and second quarters.

Netflix was number one for both quarters, with a 17.1 percent share for the first quarter and a 16.8 percent share for the second quarter.

Prime Video was second for each quarter, with 15.3 percent for Q1 and 16.1 percent for Q2. It was followed by Hulu (15 percent Q1 and 14.6 percent Q2), Max (10.8 percent each quarter), Paramount Plus (8.1 percent Q1 and 7.5 percent Q2), Peacock Premium (6.9 percent Q1 and 5.9 percent Q2), Disney Plus (4.5 percent Q1 and 4.9 percent Q2) and Apple TV Plus (1.8 percent Q1 and 2.6 percent Q2).

All other streaming services combined had a 20.5 percent viewership share in Q1 and 20.8 percent in Q2, according to Reelgood.

Reelgood says its Viewership Insights provide details on consumer engagement from the “millions of Reelgood subscribers that tune into our platform to find what to watch” and where each day.

The company’s charts provide a “comprehensive, cross-platform view of streaming viewership trends,” according to its website.

Data from more than 150 streaming services in the U.S. “enables companies to identify opportunities for growth, optimize pricing and distribution strategies, and create content that resonates with their target audience,” Reelgood says.

Reelgood’s data also “empowers companies to make informed decisions and stay ahead of the competition in this rapidly evolving landscape,” providing them with “valuable insights to customers allowing them to stay competitive in the rapidly evolving streaming landscape by:

–Identifying any emerging trends across the content on their platform;
-Assessing their own market share compared to rivals;
–Exploring potential partnership opportunities with other streaming services;
–Gaining meaningful insights into audiences’ viewing habits;
–Understanding content development and improving content discovery;
–Figuring out audiences’ subscription behaviors;
–Analyzing subscriber reach for different services and identifying growth opportunities

Reelgood covers the over-the-top (OTT) universe of 150-plus streaming services in the U.S. and is growing internationally, with its data tracking streaming activity across over 150 movies, more than 20,000 shows, and 1.3 million TV show episodes that are all “categorized with granular, normalized genres and tags,” it says.

Reelgood on Best Value Streamers

As streaming services bet big on their ad-supported subscription tiers, Reelgood ran the numbers on the catalogs of nine major streaming services to see which one was offering consumers the most bang for the buck when it comes to movie and TV show catalog size.

Reelgood looked at the numbers for Apple TV Plus, Discovery Plus, Disney Plus, Max, Hulu, Netflix, Paramount Plus with Showtime, Peacock Premium and Prime Video (Amazon) as of July 18. When Reelgood looked at the same data in May, it included the numbers for seven major streaming services, including Discovery Plus, Disney Plus, HBO Max, Hulu, Netflix, Paramount Plus and Peacock Premium (but not Apple TV Plus or Prime Video).

When it comes to sheer catalog size for the total number of movies available on U.S. ad-supported streaming services, Prime Video was in the lead as of July 18, according to catalog data from Reelgood and IMDb, which showed that service had a whopping 11,529 movies available. Netflix slipped to second place, with 3,864 movies available (up from 3,786 movies in May).

Peacock Premium trailed slightly behind Netflix, with 3,693, followed by Paramount Plus with 2,967, Max with 2,175, Disney Plus with 1,345, Hulu with 1,325, Discovery Plus with just 400 and Apple TV Plus with only 69.

When you look at it from a movie value perspective, Prime Video was also in the lead, offering a whopping 1,282 movies per dollar spent by the subscriber, according to catalog data from Reelgood and IMDb ratings as of July 18. Peacock Premium was next, with 308 movies per dollar spent by subscriber, followed by Netflix with 249, Paramount/Showtime with 247, Max with 136, Disney Plus with 122, Discovery Plus with 57 and Apple TV Plus with 10.

Meanwhile, when it comes to catalog size for the total number of TV shows available on U.S. ad-supported streaming services, Netflix remained in the lead, with a total of 2,435 TV shows.

Discovery Plus was next, with 1,962, followed by Prime Video with 1,960, Hulu with 1,631, Max with 1,279, Peacock Premium with 1,030, Paramount Plus with 811, Disney Plus with 550 and Apple TV Plus with 135.

When you look at it from a TV show value perspective, Discovery Plus was in the lead there also, offering 281 TV shows per dollar spent by the subscriber, according to catalog data from Reelgood and IMDb ratings as of July 18.

It was followed by Prime Video with 218 TV shows per dollar spent by subscriber, Netflix with 157, Hulu with 109, Peacock Premium with 86, Max with 80, Paramount Plus/Showtime with 68, Disney Plus with 50 and Apple TV Plus with 19.

Based on the findings, some subscribers may want to switch the streaming service – or services – they currently have based on their viewing preferences. That may be especially so when the monthly charge of each streaming service is factored in.

As of July 18, the most expensive ad-free U.S. streaming service of the nine plans included in the survey was Max at $15.99 a month, followed by Netflix at $15.49, Hulu at $14.99, $11.99 each for Paramount/Showtime and Peacock Premium, Disney Plus at $10.99, Prime Video at $8.99, and $6.99 each for Apple TV Plus and Discovery Plus.