The Streaming Wars are fought in number of subscribers, and these are the figures of Netflix, HBO, Disney +, Apple TV + and Amazon Prime Video . Sure you know who the leader is, but who is his imminent rival?
In the Streaming Wars, the numbers are what count. How many subscribers does Netflix have? What about HBO, Disney +, Apple TV + and Amazon Prime Video? By this we do not mean that the content is not important. Obviously, having good series and movies, and that they are relevant, is essential to get subscribers, but it is this last value that appears in all the articles of specialists who narrate the battle between streaming services , and who theorise with the position that it will occupy each one in not so many years. The leader is still Netflix, but Disney + may be its great rival in the not so long term. What about the others?
Netflix
203.7 million subscribers
According to the most recent information, at the end of January, from expert media such as Variety , Netflix currently has 203.7 million subscribers worldwide, far exceeding the expectations of the last quarter of 2020, during which it added more than 8 million users. Being number 1 as the online platform with the most subscribers gives its executives some peace of mind, although the domestic figure, that of the US, is the one that worries the most, because it has grown the least in recent quarters. However, it may already have reached business maturity there, while in the rest of the world it continues to evolve .
HBO
140 million subscribers
8 million subscribers on HBO Now
HBO’s is a special case because in some countries it combines the linear broadcast on its traditional cable chain with the catalog of its streaming service. The most recent data affirms that HBO registered 140 million subscribers at the end of 2018 , 35 of them in the United States, a base that will be key for the 2020 landing of HBO Max, the platform with which WarnerMedia, its owner, wants to impose itself. as a rival to match. That is their great challenge for the future, the adaptation (technical and brand) from one to the other . HBO Now, the online version for which it is not necessary to be registered on cable, has an approximate figure of 8 million subscribers.
Disney +
100 million subscribers
Disney + is undoubtedly the most expensive upstart who can plant the leaders. At the end of 2020 we learned that the audiovisual eminence had reached 86.8 million subscribers , in just six months of operation, almost double that of last March, exceeding all expectations. In January 2021 that number rose to 94.9 million and now, less than a year and a half after its launch, it has exceeded 100 million. It is the effect of its recent international expansion: in Spain, for example, it landed on March 24. Although the platform executives have not assured it, it is also possible that Wandavision had a lot to do with this new milestone. The insiders, They say Mickey Mouse House will be the fastest growing service in the next five years , and we understand that. Its content is already known to all and plays with the trump card of nostalgia.
Apple TV +
33 million subscribers
Apple’s original fiction service has been with us for a short time , since last November, so what makes the most sense is to compare their numbers with those of Disney +. But we do not have official figures. The American portals have echoed the study that an agency that affirms that Apple TV + already registers 33 million subscribers. It is something that we have to take with a grain of salt, since their titles, being new, are not as well known as those of Disney +. That is the company’s challenge: to position series and films in the media arena.
Amazon Prime Video
150 million subscribers
Currently, the platform that most rivals the number of Netflix subscribers, the one that occupies the second position, is Amazon Prime Video , although the measurements are not as exact as in previous cases. Recall that Prime Video is a service included in Amazon’s Prime subscription, which recently celebrated 150 million subscribers . However, having Prime is not the same as watching Amazon Prime Video. Entering this field, an independent study collected in expert media ensures that its series and films are seen by 96 million viewers.
