Disney+ storms into Parks OTT top ten for 2021

Based on estimated numbers of subscribers through September 2021 from the firm’s OTT Video Market Tracker surveying 10,000 US broadband households, the study discovered that more than 80% of broadband households have at least one OTT service and that the churn rate for OTT services is 44%, with consumers adopting multiple subscriptions and experimenting with different services.

The analyst noted that while the Disney+ content portfolio may have allowed it to leapfrog stablemate Hulu in 2021 rankings to number three, its position reaffirms the collective power of the Disney Bundle triumvirate: Hulu, Disney+, and ESPN+. It added that ViacomCBS’s successful rebrand and content-fuelled reformulation of CBS All Access into Paramount+ allowed it to leapfrog Apple TV+ into seventh place behind ESPN+ and that time would tell if the service will break into the top five.

HBO Max moved into the top five, while Paramount+, rebranded from CBS All Access) jumped to number seven on the list. Starz and Showtime rounded out the top ten while new entrant Discovery+ was just outside the leaders in eleventh position.

“Broadband providers added an estimated 6.4 million residential customers to date in 2021, showing rapid growth,” said Kristen Hanich, director of research, Parks Associates commenting on the OTT Video Market Tracker . “The importance of bundling pay-TV with home broadband is diminishing though…only 38% of US broadband households bundle pay-TV with their home internet service, a significant decline from past levels.”

“The role of online TV continues to grow, with consumers embracing OTT services offered by familiar providers,” added Eric Sorensen, contributing senior analyst, Parks. “In Q3 2021, 19% of US broadband households reported subscribing to a vMVPD service, nearly double from the previous year. By 2024, the US vMVPD subscriber base will increase to more than 23 million households. All players will continue vying for the leading positions.” Rapid TV News