M+E Connections

Whip Media Streaming Survey: Max Leads the Way

The fifth annual SVOD consumer satisfaction survey from Whip Media shows Max leading the way among all providers, with a consumer satisfaction mark of 88 percent, down from 94 percent in 2022. Hulu finished second while Disney+ took the No. 3 spot.

Netflix, which dropped to No. 4 in 2022, dropped further this year, to No. 6, with Apple TV+ and Paramount+ surpassing the streaming giant.

“This year’s analysis clearly indicates that satisfaction among the top tier of streaming platforms is gradually declining while mid-tier platforms rise in overall satisfaction,” the report reads. “The narrowing competitive market suggests there is high demand for showing the right mix of original and library content – and consistently maintaining a delightful viewer experience – in order to drive an overall value that subscribers expect.”

Thirty points separated the platform with the highest satisfaction (Max, at 92 percent) and the lowest (Peacock, with 62 percent). That spread has since contracted to 26 points in 2022 and 14 points in 2023, or a 53 percent decrease over the last three years.

Apple+, Hulu, and Paramount+ led the way in terms of the quality of their original series and films, and the same three, in the same order, were tops in terms of the variety of originals they offered.

And while Netflix may have fallen in terms of overall satisfaction, the streamer is still No. 1 in user experience and programming recommendations. Netflix also remains the most indispensable service, based on the number of respondents (27 percent) who said they would keep the service if they could only have one SVOD subscription, but by an increasingly thinner margin (41 percent in 2021).

“While the majority of SVOD subscribers plan to continue renewing their services, the trend among subscribers that are ‘likely to keep’ their subscriptions indicates a new predilection toward mid-tier platforms and a growing willingness to substitute services,” the report read. “Hulu ranked No. 1 in likeliness to keep at 88 percent given its vast library of content that helps retain subscribers.”

The Streaming Satisfaction Report surveyed more than 2,000 American consumers.