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Prime Video has replaced Netflix as the No. 1 subscription streaming outlet in the U.S. in an annual ranking compiled by research firm Parks Associates. (See complete chart below.)
The company has not disclosed its methodology for determining the number of Prime Video subscribers. This metric has long been kept secret due to Amazon’s general reluctance to disclose statistics about its Prime business. Still, Parks has remained a well-respected follower of the streaming industry for over a decade now. Over the years in the 2010s, its rankings seemed consistent, with the former “big three” Netflix, Prime Video, and Hulu sharing the top three spots, with Netflix always at the top. Now, given the number of new players entering the scene, the rankings are even more segmented. The list includes 2022 data via Parks’ OTT Video Market Tracker, a service that the company describes as “a thorough analysis of the market trends and profiles of approximately 100 over-the-top video service providers in the United States and Canada.” The total number of subscribers up to September is reflected. ”
Last year, Amazon announced that it had more than 200 million Prime members and that one of the benefits of the program was Prime Video. A few weeks ago, the company recently announced that The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power was watched by more than 100 million Prime subscribers worldwide. CEO Andy Jassy said during an appearance at the New York Times’ DealBook conference that Prime Video is helping attract more subscribers to Prime, which also offers free shipping, Whole Foods Market discounts and other perks. “It’s a very important element,” he said. “This has always been a driver of Prime subscriptions,” Jassy said of the video service, “but more and more people are signing up for Prime for the video content.”
Meanwhile, Netflix has hit a plateau in the U.S., with subscriber numbers declining slightly in recent quarters. The company reported 73.4 million subscribers in the U.S. and Canada as of Sept. 30, an increase of 100,000 from the previous quarter but below levels seen in 2021 and earlier this year. Stagnant subscriber momentum is the main reason the company is rushing into the advertising business, announcing cheaper ad-supported subscription plans in the U.S. and nearly a dozen other countries. Its $7 tier launched last month.
Of course, globally, Netflix continues to lead the field with just over 223 million subscribers. Disney continues to follow suit, with Disney+ now at 164.2 million, and the company overall with Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ at 235.7 million.
The rest of the 2022 chart is relatively similar to the 2021 version, but NBCUniversal’s Peacock moves up to No. 10 as Showtime drops a spot. Peacock, which has 15 million paid subscribers, is on track for roughly the same trajectory as NBCU’s projections in terms of monthly active users, but growth has been slower than many of its rivals. Peacock gradually rose to prominence thanks to live sports coverage such as the World Cup, Premier League Soccer, and Major League Baseball, as well as WWE and a slew of first-run movies. Meanwhile, Showtime is in somewhat of a limbo as parent company Paramount Global merges with Paramount+ and streamlines its management team, casting doubt on Showtime’s future as a standalone streaming entity. .
The park rankings from 2019 to this year are as follows:
Parks Associates: Top 10 OTT video services in the US
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