Streaming vs. cable 2022

The news cycles recently have not been kind to streaming companies. From Netflix losing most of its value on the stock market, to CNN+ closing down shop after just a few weeks, the end of streaming is clearly over….or is it? There are plenty of measurements to point to the conclusion that streaming is doing just fine (share price aside). 

One measurement of strength is that the overall ratio between the amount of time people spend watching cable compared to streaming services has remained relatively steady.  Further, the percent of Americans that have at least one streaming subscription has bumped up 13 percent. 

Even though Netflix is in the midst of a tumultuous year that featured slowing subscriber rates and reduced market cap, the data shows that Wall Street’s view might be disconnected from the most important audience…..the subscribers. 

Changes are coming to Netflix. Chief among them is a crackdown on password sharing. Next in line would be a potential ad-based subscription model. As the below deck shows, subscribers are happy with the value they get from a Netflix subscription, but how do they feel about possibly having to foot the bill on their own (or actually get their own subscription)? Would they want an ad-based option? If so, how much would they spend? The answers to these questions might surprise you. 

We asked our panel which of the five streaming services (Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, Disney+ and Apple TV) was seen as the most innovative. Is there a correlation between innovation and subscription strength? The answers might surprise you!