There’s a shakeup near the top of Parks Associates’ annual list of the biggest SVODs in the U.S.
The research firm said that, based on its quarterly surveys of 10,000 U.S. broadband households, that Disney+ is now the third largest subscription streaming video service in the U.S., knocking Hulu down to fourth and marking the first change in the top three since Parks began tracking the services in 2015.
"While the Disney+ content portfolio may have allowed it to leapfrog stablemate Hulu in 2021 rankings, its position reaffirms the collective power of the Disney Bundle triumvirate: Hulu, Disney+, and ESPN+," said Paul Erickson, director of research at Parks Associates, in a statement. "ViacomCBS's successful rebrand and content-fueled reformulation of CBS All Access into Paramount+ have allowed it to leapfrog Apple TV+ into seventh place behind ESPN+, and time will tell if the service will break into the top 5."
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Outside of the top three, Hulu, HBO Max, ESPN+, Paramount+, Apple TV+, Starz and Showtime round out the rest of the top 10 in that order. MLB.TV and Sling TV, which both appeared in the top 10 list in 2019, were both bumped while recent launches like Discovery+ are still on the outside looking in.
Despite Sling TV’s exit from the top 10, Parks is predicting that virtual MVPDs will continue growing as fewer consumers bundle traditional TV service with broadband.
"In Q3 2021, 19% of US broadband households reported subscribing to a vMVPD service, nearly double from the previous year," said Eric Sorensen, contributing senior analyst at Parks Associates, in a statement. "By 2024, the US vMVPD subscriber base will increase to more than 23 million households. All players will continue vying for the leading positions."