Providing Market Intelligence for 40 Years

In The News

Disney's 3 streaming services jumped into the US top 5, researcher says

Disney's bumper launch of Disney Plus in the last year has helped all three of the company's streaming services -- Hulu, Disney Plus and ESPN Plus -- to rank in the top-five most popular US streaming-video subscriptions, according to estimates from researcher Parks Associates Wednesday.

Netflix and Amazon Prime Video continue to hold court as No. 1 and No. 2 on the list, respectively. But Hulu, Disney Plus and ESPN Plus round out the top five, according to Parks' latest ranking of the biggest over-the-top subscriptions services in the US through the end of September.

Disney Plus' launch was already widely regarded as one of the strongest rollouts ever in the streaming-video market. Among the raft of newer services that've launched in the last year -- including Apple TV Plus, HBO Max and Peacock -- Disney Plus has emerged as the clear front-runner by subscribers. Disney Plus has grown to 73.7 million subscribers as of Oct. 3, the company said last week as it reported earnings. Disney also introduced a three-way bundle lumping all of its streaming services together for $13 a month last year, helping piggyback ESPN Plus on Disney Plus' popularity. (Hulu has consistently been No. 3 in Parks' ranking.)

Notably, Apple TV Plus, which launched the week before Disney Plus did last year, hit No. 8 in Parks' annual ranking. Apple has never divulged subscriber numbers for its streaming service, making its popularity a bit of a mystery. Apple also offered unusually generous free trials lasting a year or more to anyone who's bought an Apple device since September 2019, meaning many of Apple's subscribers have likely never paid for the service.

In Parks' ranking, Apple TV Plus is now positioned right below HBO Max, which its parent company recently disclosed has 8.6 million sign-ups.

NBCUniversal's Peacock didn't make Parks' list, which is based on the number of people signed up to a paid subscription. Peacock is unique among many of its competitors in that it has a free tier. Free Peacock accounts are limited in how much of its catalog is available to stream; by upgrading to a paid subscription, a member can watch anything Peacock has available.

"Peacock is starting to make inroads in terms of paid subscriptions, but currently the base for that service is mainly comprised of users of the free ad-supported tier," Parks said.

Parks full ranking of over-the-top video subscriptions in the US is as follows:

1. Netflix
2. Amazon Prime Video
3. Hulu
4. Disney Plus
5. ESPN Plus
6. HBO Max
7. Apple TV Plus
8. CBS All Access
9. Showtime
10. Starz 

From the article "Disney's 3 streaming services jumped into the US top 5, researcher says" by Joan E. Solsman.

Previously In The News

AI PCs’ Unmet Promise Dragging Down Adoption

Meanwhile, the road ahead for AI PCs may still be rocky. “With ongoing component shortages expected to drive up the cost of PCs throughout 2026, I don’t see demand for AI PCs improving,” said Kristen...

Samsung Bespoke Fridge is a Pricey Way to Use Gemini AI for Food Tips

“A ‘smart’ fridge often carries a premium price tag, requires regular software updates, and may raise privacy concerns if it tracks your groceries or eating habits,” researcher Dogan Gursoy told the W...

Samsung Tizen tops smart TV OS usage in US, Parks Associates finds

Samsung’s Tizen is the most used smart TV operating system in the US, with 34% of smart TV owners saying it is the platform they use most often, according to new research from Parks Associates. Unv...

The Smart Money: 5 CES Smart Home Takeaways

The 20th annual CONNECTIONS Summit at CES, hosted by Parks Associates, featured panel discussions that examined the most impactful dynamics shaping the connected home, including AI advancements, the s...

Phone:
972-490-1113
Mailing Address:
2301 West Plano Parkway, Suite 210, Plano, TX 75075
Expertise
Smart Home: Management and Safety Consumer Electronics Connected Health and Wellness Connectivity and Mobility Small-to-medium Business (SMB) MDU
Services
Research Memberships Visibility Memberships Streaming Video Tracker Smart Home and Security Tracker Broadband Market Tracker Channel Analytics
Events
CONNECTIONS™ CONNECTIONS™ Summit/CES Smart Energy Summit Connected Health Summit Future Of Video Smart Spaces
Resources
Press Releases Analyst Blog Parks in the News
About Us
Overview Team Contact Us
Store
View Your Cart

Follow:

© 2023-2026 Parks Associates. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy

Design & Developed By Agency Partner Interactive