TMT Insight
January 2021
New Streaming Services Cut into Netflix’s Market Share,
While “The Mandalorian” Drives Disney+ Viewership
Viewers increased their streaming subscriptions to an average of four streaming
providers in December 2020 from three streaming providers in April 2020
The average monthly household spend on all streaming services increased
commensurately to $47 from $38
While Netflix remains the largest streaming brand, five of the next six-largest streaming
providers all made market share gains since April 2020
“The Mandalorian” was the most-watched show on streaming sites in December 2020
The streaming wars have intensified, and even as the newest players entered the fray, the entire
industry faces some stiff competition: the outside world.
When J.D. Power last conducted a streaming pulse study, the bulk of the country was in the throes of
stay-at-home orders due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since those early spring days, the pandemic has
ebbed and flowed, and while some states are still encouraging their residents to stay indoors, others
have at least partially opened up the entertainment offerings in the form of restaurant dining, live
sporting events and more.
Also, within the past six months, two new streaming services with major titles to their credit–
NBCUniversal’s Peacock and Time Warner’s HBO Max—have been launched, creating new challengers
for the industry’s legacy platforms.
In an effort to get a sense to how the streaming landscape has changed in the face of these
developments, J.D. Power has conducted a follow-up pulse survey of 1,745 U.S. adults, delving into their
viewing preferences, usability challenges and future plans for using these subscription-based services.
Following are the key findings.
The New Kids on the Block
The utopia cord cutters once envisioned—an ultra-low television bill with boundless a la carte options to
choose from—might not quite be the reality they perceived. While streaming undoubtedly offers a
treasure trove of content, users are paying for the privilege of watching their favorites on-demand at
