50% of all streaming users admit to account sharing

Streaming has become the dominant media platform in the United States, with 86% of Americans having access to a streaming service of some kind. But while most Americans are moving into streaming, some want the best of both worlds. Currently, 40% of Americans still hold a streaming subscription and use a traditional cable network provider for a milieu of content.

With recent crackdowns from services like Netflix on multiple users and shared accounts, the streaming services will surely note a hit to their subscriber base, as nearly 50% of all streaming users admit to sharing their accounts with friends and family.

Of those who still subscribe to live TV, only 39% do so through a newer live streaming provider, such as YouTube TV or Fubo TV. Among the population, nearly a third (31%) of Americans don’t subscribe to any live TV. This number was bolstered over the last year, with 24% of respondents canceling a live-TV subscription over the last 12 months. Live TV cancellations have coincided with the rise of alternative streaming providers rising out of traditional cable providers, such as Peacock from NBC, Disney Plus, and HBO Max, moving into the market, reclaiming their content from other services while also creating original work.

Streaming services have become so populous that 3 in every 4 (75%) users who subscribe to a service have done so purely because that provider holds exclusive content. Disney Plus has been notable, having pulled a significant amount of content from services like Netflix and Hulu to add back into their streaming catalog. However, Netflix still reigns in at the top, with 81% of streaming users stating that they hold a subscription to the service, ranking above the next two, Hulu (60%) and Disney Plus (54%).

With recent crackdowns from services like Netflix on multiple users and shared accounts, the streaming services will surely note a hit to their subscriber base, as nearly 50% of all streaming users admit to sharing their accounts with friends and family. Most rank Netflix (30%) as having their favorite content, but as changes occur within the streaming service, sentiment has begun to wane. The most significant change is Netflix’s announcement that they will, at last, be adding advertisements to lower tiers of their subscription service. And while most respondents hold some degree of willingness to pay to avoid ads (80%) in their streaming subscriptions, 1 in 5 users aren’t concerned about ads or paying to avoid them. Netflix also has the best user experience, with 1 in 3 (31%) Americans ranking the provider over others.

This study surveyed over 500 Americans from May 26th to June 1st.

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